During the summers of 1985 and 1986 I had a job on Martha’s Vineyard. I was Officer Corey, the littlest cop in Edgartown. The Vineyard Gazette even wrote an article about me. Somehow I befriended one of the traffic cops–I think his name Officer Mark, and another–officer Craig–who drove a squad car around. Every day my parents would take me downtown and I would stand on the corner with Mark. I learned the proper hand signals to direct traffic, and the cars followed my instructions. My grandmother, who was a wonderful songwriter in the days of wonderful songwriting, wrote a song about me. “Officer Corey’s on the job in Edgartown…”
It was as a junior junior cop that I fist recall that sinking feeling of being wrong. I recall someone asking me directions to the general store. I pointed them up Main Street, then, as soon as the man was out of sight, realized the store was down the street. I ran inside the t-shirt store and hid with my parents. Another time I got my traffic signals mixed up, and when I realized I dropped my arms and stood in a shadow. Fortunately Officer Mark was there.
This morning I finished my painting. I dabbed in some darks in the trees, ultramarine shadows on the buildings, and developed the water further. I recently got a Princeton Neptune #12, and used it for the first time today. A nice brush. I loved the quill I had already, but wanted a little more precision while keeping the looseness that these brushes engender. I liked it on the sail, where I tried to learn from John Singer Sargent’s “Melon Boats.” I found it helpful too when painting the sailors. To finish off the painting I scraped out the highlights and lines on the boat. This was a fun painting to do, and a good way to remember Edgartown. I have a few more in mind for this series, and a few more stories to go with them.
Thanks for reading.
Corey Aber 
Very nice, great perspective & colors!
Thank you very much
Corey, this is wonderful! Not only is it beautiful to look at but it really captures the feeling of the Vineyard and the freedom of being on the water. Plus I like how you’ve put all of the vibrant colour on the boat and water and the grass and house is more muted. Really like this one.
Very, very nice, Corey! The way you handled the horizon architecture and enveloping foliage looks just like an Edward Hopper watercolor–one of my all-time favorites. You have quite an eye for translating the world onto the watercolor page.
Thank you! Without your tip at the start about Hopper this might have looked pretty different. Always learning, but I feel like I am slowly getting closer to a style of my own as I draw from Hopper and John Singer Sargent and your influences along with my literary heroes.