Symbol of Another Time

Nantucket, MA

This plein-air watercolor of Nantucket’s historic windmill was painted mid-morning, capturing a dynamic foreground of the vermillion vane pole and enormous wagon wheel that control the wooden gear train for positioning the vanes toward the wind. The rustic character of the wood shakes, barn doors and windows, and split rail fence, are the basic forms of the mill.

Built in 1746, this hand-hewn structure, the last of five, is still operational, standing alone on an elevated knoll, a symbol from an earlier era.