Working Water (1 of 50 Limited Edition)

The Story

The Second Semester works the open Bay, two crew in orange slickers running the deck. The crab pot rigging is up. A tanker moves past in the background, unaware. Everything that defines the commercial Bay is in this frame — the watermen, the gear, the deep blue water, and the freight that passes through it.

The Location

The Second Semester hails from Solomons, Maryland — a working harbor at the mouth of the Patuxent River where the Bay narrows before opening south toward the Potomac. Watermen out of Solomons have worked these waters for generations. The Chesapeake Bay's commercial fishing industry is among the oldest in North America; blue crabs remain the Bay's signature harvest, and the families behind the licenses have worked the same grounds for decades. The tanker in the background navigates the deepwater shipping channel that runs the length of the Bay — the two vessels share the same water without sharing the same world.

Artist's Perspective

"I'm always interested in the working Bay — not just the wildlife. The Second Semester was running hard when I caught it, and the angle gave me the crew, the rigging, and that ship on the horizon all at once. That's the whole Bay right there." — Andre Smith

Curator's Recommendation

The horizontal format and open water composition make this well-suited for wide wall spaces — a dining room, conference room, or nautical-themed interior. The blue and white palette holds in any light. Landscape format.

Print Quality

Archival-Quality Canvas. Made in the USA with globally sourced materials.

Every Chesapeake Focus print is produced on archival-grade poly-cotton canvas using UL GREENGUARD GOLD certified inks — water resistant, fade resistant, and anti-yellowing. Each canvas is hand-stretched over kiln-dried stretcher bars that are knot-free and warp-free, then finished with your choice of hardwood floater frame in matte black or white. Ready to hang right out of the box.

Stretcher bars sourced from FSC-certified, sustainably managed forests — a quiet nod to the landscapes our work celebrates.