Several times each day, lifting poles and rolling canvas, taking in, letting out, setting sail. At the Salon Russell Janis, there is a row of garage door size windows facing the sidewalk and we needed a solution to manage privacy, light and winter insulation. Putting our heads together, Russell and I each had our own thoughts: I wanted a single piece of fabric to span the entire area of the window for a clean simple look, he wanted heavyweight canvas like that of an old Boy Scout tent or the sail of a boat. With a ninety-six inch roll of canvas duck, eight foot pieces of 3/4″ electrical conduit for horizontal supports, 2×3 studs for the pole notches, protective goggles, electric saw and sewing machine, our window system was born. Upon completion and use came some unexpected pleasure – that of arranging sails on a boat.
In the dog days of last August, we discovered Harding-Lane, a company founded by a brother and sister team producing thoughtfully designed baseball caps where profits help protect and preserve land and landmarks in Massachusetts. The sea-worn cotton and crafty needlepoint stitch icons of Sloop and Herreshoff Hull in our opinion, quite worthy of sporting anywhere.
From a stack of old silver negatives found and printed is a particular black-and-white photograph, cherished. A picture of Russell’s father as a boy wading on the edge of the the sea, shoulder straps of his bathing suit casually turned down and holding a string, a toy boat secured at its end. Standing in front of canvas sails, wood masts and hulls, clues to a time gone by, yet a recognizable feeling of summer that stays with us.
Available for sale by clicking the images below
