Helen Spurrier Watercolor "Lake Michigan Boats" (1952)

Noted Midwest artist Helen E. Spurrier created this unique watercolor along the Lake Michigan Shore in Southwest Michigan in 1952. A well-known and award-winning artist, she captured the essence of a windy day in late autumn when most of the boats had been docked in the harbor for the season in this tempestuous part of the Great Lakes.

The painting, one of my favorites, reminds me of my childhood when our family lived in Grand Rapids. We made frequent visits to the Lake to swim or fish. My grandmother Helen would bring along her sketch pad for later use in painting her many visions of the world and the countryside around her.

I vividly recall running through the waves as they washed on shore, splashing through them barefoot as they ebbed back into the vast lake and the cloudy horizon. Helen held my hand tightly as we laughed and ran along the shore, the wind whistling about us and the water splashing our clothes. Helen had eyes the color of the gray/blue sky found in the painting. Coincidence?