1984 had the Harvey family venture off on a year away—at sea. To say that it changed Maureen’s artistic focus is an understatement. She went from Edmonton’s Universiade mural on Jasper Avenue and 99thstreet to small notebooks that could be squirrelled away on a 13-metre, 17-ton sailboat: the Nefertari, home for the family of six over the coming year.
Paints are finicky: Maureen moved to pencils. On the water, subjects can be sparse: each landing provided new inspiration.
After travelling east by land, heading south was the way to go, through Florida and to the Bahamas. It was there in the Caribbean where Maureen found plenty of new subjects for her work. In particular, the deep colours registered. Sunsets, reflections, turquoise water and pale sand: all began to show themselves on paper.
No one in the family had strong sailing experience before the trip. John’s brother Bob sailed, and brother Hobert. Maureen was accustomed to getting a little bit seasick on the water, and soon learned that sailing involves six directions: north, south, east, west, up, and down. And, of course, the water’s colours were a guide: aqua-shaded water equates to a calmer channel, while true blue indicates deeper, ocean water.
Straight away, everyone in the Harvey family learned their jobs. Weather played a big part in the day. After checking the winds, swimming or snorkelling would be quick on the agenda.
Colleen, from Colleen + David, diptych, 49-3/4 x 39-3/4”
David, from Colleen + David, diptych, 49-3/4 x 39-3/4”
As with any home, meals were daily work. David, truly a prairie kid, is fabled to have complained at least once, “What, lobster again?” Half of the family meals were caught fresh from the sea. Other foods were always cooked from the basics. At port, the family would stock up: basically, with two layers of food. One would keep longer, and they’d use up the fresher items first. “If you managed to get green beans, or maybe carrots—carrots were sparse—we’d eat these right away.” Food hung in hammocks in the cabin, and would be rinsed with sea water to eliminate bugs. Cabbage and onions would be eaten next, with a good scrub on the root end of the onions: again to get rid of bugs. “We’d sometimes buy groceries from the local barge. The store was often a living room in somebody’s house or a shed somewhere,” remembers Maureen. They would never have corrugated cardboard, as that was a place for bugs or cockroaches to hide out.
Crayfish, 11x14”
On anchoring, all six would head off in different directions: the luxury of space not wasted. As Maureen puts it, “We’re not a flare-up family,” and each of the Harveys found ways to live comfortably together in the small space and back on land. Correspondence school was a commitment for Colleen and David, as they worked on high school courses from the water. David and John spearfished with snorkels. Young John went off to crew another boat, and no one heard from him for five months. They managed fine without him, and, after honing his new skills, they graciously welcomed him back.
On the Beach, 22-3/4 x 30”
Everyone was healthy throughout most of the trip. Maureen developed an abscessed tooth by the end, to be taken care of once back home. Mom O’Neill was ill with cancer before the trip and passed away while they were at sea.
For Maureen, the trip provided a sense of independence from “work” or career. She was into some significant work at the time of the trip. Prairie Picnic had finished up. The Cows at the Edmonton Central Public Library parkade. The Junkanoo mural at St. Rose School. Maureen had the option of staying home alone. . . but ultimately thought that the boat trip would be a fun adventure. And it was a true adventure, for all involved. “There was a point, at the end of October, when I thought, ‘this is it. We’re done.’” There were high, fierce waves near Newport. As Maureen puts it, “We survived.”
More than surviving, Maureen and family thrived. Maureen’s work took a new turn. The narrow lines of boats’ masts began to show. Pastel colours on houses, and the bright sky and clear colours arrived. Circles, like compositions around a fire, joined her work.
On the Wall, 17-1/4 x 23-1/2”
To read more, see this Edmonton Journal report of the Harvey boat trip.
To see more on the people from the Bahamas that Maureen painted, read this story [TO FOLLOW].