Tag Archives: painting of the Steamship Savannah

Power of Steam

First, the oil painting, then the story behind it… make sure you don’t miss your challenge invitation. Do you accept?

Watch me paint this seascape in 2 minute time-lapse. It was my first time painting on a canvas this large.

“The Steamship Savannah was the first ship to cross the Atlantic by steam. What a happy, exhilarating feeling it must have been to stand on the shores, watching this pioneering ship set sail…
When anything is possible, everything is. May we be inspired by those who took this maiden voyage and showed us how to dream and achieve.”

– from the book “50 Oil Paintings Inspired by Savannah, Georgia” by artist Natalie Buske Thomas

Update to the above story…

I’d planned on more voyages of my own. After our return from living in Ireland, there was no reason for the adventures to end, but our travels were ill fated. The only places we were “going”, were through the spirit of discovery of the mind.

Pioneering new ways to think, create, and share is a bit like the power of steam. Steam power was invented as a solution to problems, namely as an engine to pump out flooded coal mines. We too often discover something new through the “power of steam”, an innovative solution to a problem that sets us sailing on an unexpected and exhilarating adventure.

Natalie Buske Thomas at Celtic Sea Coast

Tomorrow is the launch of my pioneering oil painting adventure, using technology in a way that no artist has ever done before. I’ve seized the opportunity to try Amazon’s new feature to embed video into e-books, and the book will be offered in a free promotion that should get a lot of attention. I’m ready!

This spirit of discovery wasn’t quite the thrill I’d been pining for… for years now I’ve wanted my art to “come alive” as viewers read my books, but it’s a grand start! For the first time, the technology exists to pioneer merging books and art in an innovative way. As time goes on, I plan to step up my game and create the illusion of a story coming alive as its being painted.

Because my file sizes are enormous for e-book format standards, today’s technology (available to us average yokels) doesn’t yet have this capacity. I could only choose one moving picture (one video to embed). The others had to be linked to. Viewers must click on the link and watch my painting videos hosted on my own independent website. But, in one glorious part of the voyage, my art “comes alive” inside the book, or so it should… if the reading device works as expected.

Another somewhat disappointing bit is that the video doesn’t spontaneously play. It seems that viewers must click play. I also had to downsize my 100+ images a little bit. They are still high resolution though, and such a very long way from the early days when a single image would crash an entire website! Now we can put sharp, full color, massive images and VIDEO into digital books.

Wow! I’d have eaten all of this up when I was a child bookworm. But who says I can’t be excited now, in 2021? Aren’t we all still that child inside? Embrace the thrills of the future! What can we do tomorrow? What can we do TODAY?

When life took an unexpected turn of unemployment, hardship and grieving the loss of a parent I was the caregiver for, my reaction was to flee. I escaped with my family into a whole new life of travel and adventure, selling most of what we owned, and leaving it all behind. But that journey ended abruptly and with no hope of continuance.

How would I solve the problem of being “grounded”, perhaps for years to come? Like the power of steam, a solution to one problem may lead to an exhilarating voyage. I turned my desire for adventure inward, and made intellectual, creative, and spiritual discoveries.

I challenge you to do the same. Perhaps you’re already sailing on new seas, and just need encouragement to keep going, or maybe you’re still standing on the shore. Your hopes and dreams are at reach, believe it! And when we think we’ve reached the end of who we are, we realize that we’ve only just begun.

My lifetime goal:
100
ONE THOUSAND finished paintings

“Steamship Savannah”

Watch Natalie paint this art, and all 50 oil paintings in this collection (menu below)

“The Steamship Savannah was the first ship to cross the Atlantic by steam. What a happy, exhilarating feeling it must have been to stand on the shores, watching this pioneering ship set sail. May the spirit of discovery be our future!

This painting celebrates the American independent spirit. Our beautiful flag had fewer stars then, as we were a new country full of hope and innovation. When anything is possible, everything is. May we be inspired by those who took this maiden voyage and showed us how to dream and achieve.”

Steamship Savannah oil painting by Natalie Buske Thomas

List of Oil Paintings in this Collection, linking to their pages here on the site, and also citing physical pages in the hardcover book:

  1. City of Savannah
    1.1 “City of Savannah” page 6-7
    1.2 “Natalie at the Fountain” page 8-11
    1.3 “House in Savannah” page 12-13
    1.4 “Guardian Lion” page 14-15
    1.5 “Autumn Angel” page 16-17
    1.6 “Steamship Savannah” page 18-19
    1.7 “Boiled Peanuts for Sale” page 20-21
    1.8 “Bulldog” page 22-23
    1.9 “Serenity Piano” page 24-25
    1.10 “Painting Colors” page 26-27
  2. Tybee Island
    2.1 “I Love Life” page 30-31
    2.2 “Living Sand Dollar” page 32-33
    2.3 “Matthew the Sea Turtle” page 34-35
    2.4 “Fungie the Dolphin” page36-37
    2.5 “Angel Releasing Dove” page 38-39
    2.6 “Flag on Tybee Island” page 40-41
    2.7 “My Kids at the Beach” page 42-43
    2.8 “Lighthouse near Tybee Island” page 44-45
  3. Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians
    3.1 “Gator and Snake” page 48-49
    3.2 “Tree Frog” page 50-51
    3.3 “Lizard” page 52-53
    3.4 “Blue Heron” page 54-55
    3.5 “Hummingbird” page 56-57
    3.6 “Painted Bunting” page 58-59
  4. Flowers and Trees
    4.1 “Pink Flower” page 62-63
    4.2 “Porch Flowers” page 64-65
    4.3 “Clover” page 66-67
    4.4 “Butterfly Tree Flowers” page 68-69
    4.5 “Savannah Tree” page 70-71
    4.6 “Dancer in a Floral Forest” page 72-73
    4.7 “Come to the Garden” page 74-77
    4.8 “Cherokee Rose” page 78-79
  5. Faith and Food
    5.1 “Floral Cross” page 82-83
    5.2 “Lenten Flower” page 84-85
    5.3 “Celtic Cross” page 86-87
    5.4 “Mary of God’s Favor” page 88-89
    5.5 “Lion and the Lamb” page 90-91
    5.6 “Breakfast with Friends” page 92-93
    5.7 “Peaches in a Bowl” page 94-95
    5.8 “Peach Cookies” page 96-97
    5.9 “Peach Pie” page 98-99
  6. Seasons and Weather
    6.1 “Pumpkins and Mums” page 102-103
    6.2 “Autumn Cottage” page 104-105
    6.3 “Spring Lambs” page 106-107
    6.4 “Peach Tree Hurricane” page 108-109
    6.5 “Eye of the Storm” page 110-111
    6.6 “God’s Promise” page 112-113
    6.7 “We Gather Together” page 114-115
    6.8 “Savannah Snow” page 116-117
    6.9 “I Believe in Santa” page 118-119

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