Ann Wood's Ghostships

I happened upon the ship picture (above) last night in a book and kept it handy for inspiration. Something about it seemed other-worldly, mainly because I imagine a lot of noise on an open ship like this and yet the painting is so quiet and serene. Wouldn't you know today I stumbled upon this gorgeous creation made by Ann Wood, which she calls a "ghostship", titled "The Antonia", which strikes another chord, as I spent 9 years in Nebraska in my twenties. Everyone who lives in Nebraska reads (should read) Willa Cather's books about the place. They are romantic, descriptive and evocative of the prairie's ubiquitous and detailed beauty. Coincidentally my sister Liz, who lives with her family in MN now, is re-reading Cather's My Antonia. I remember the midwest's prairie grass is sweeping and untamed as the ocean. I wonder if Wood was thinking of that when she titled her ghostship Antonia.