These two chairs have been here for decades; as long as I can recall anyway.
The story goes that a man was asked by his wife to get rid of the blue Aidrondack chair he’d built for a previous girlfriend, and so he decided to put it out on the rock at Kitty Islet to look over the view of Trial Island and the Olympic mountain range beyond. When it was destroyed by the weather and time, the community was upset, and so he decided to build chair another to replace it; this time he painted it red. Soon after, another family attempted to restore the original blue chair, but found they couldn’t, so they built a replacement. Then, there were two.
I’ve been back to this spot several times over the years. I’ve noted these chairs coming and going. There was a yellow one there too, for a while. I recall the temporary absence of the blue one. I am not sure who is taking care of them, but they’ve been there long enough I don’t think it’s just one person. They are now part of the landscape. When one needs work, the community can’t accept this landscape without them, and someone rises to the occasion, or so I presume.
It’s hard not to ascribe human qualities to these chairs; to imagine them as an old couple, comfortably in love, relaxed and looking out at the sea. Nearly everyone in town knows them.
Links to purchase the original 30×40″ acrylic on canvas painting and prints are available here.