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Monday, April 18, 2011

Welaka Maritime Museum

We visited the Maritime Museum in Welaka, it was truly dedicated to wooden boat restorations and building. Mr. Richard Speas was the man behind all the boats and the reason the museum exists today. Walking through the museum I got the feeling the Mr. Speas had an incredibly well lived life, someone who enjoyed his passion and as a result left a legacy to his family.
With the remains of the wood from his boat building and restoration, he made these vases. The are bits of wood that have been epoxied together, then sanded and varnished. Although the boats were gorgeous it was the vases that captured my total attention.

Close up of an unfinished piece
This one vase is 11' high
and this one displays the art of his carving. This was a pleasant surprise among the Spanish moss and tranquility of the St. John's River am although I would have loved to have met Mr. Speas in life, I'm grateful that his family has preserved his memory and artwork for the rest of us to enjoy.

1 comment:

Delighted Hands said...

Wow, amazing woodwork. Will have to find this place-thanks for the info!