Stephen Grant

I have been chartering fishing from Harker’s Island since the late 70’s.  I was born in Alamance County here in N.C. but our family’s vacations were spent at the island where my grandad built our first cabin in the 1940’s.  The island became my dream spot since I was a child.  As I grew up, I loved art and ‘crafts.  Through the years I worked with many fundraising groups and made crafts and art to raise money for them.

I worked for General Dynamics for 30 years with a dream to build and retire at Harker’s Island as my dad did.  I did so in 2000, designing and building my own house.  I have been involved in art, crafts and gourmet cooking for years.  I am a charter boat captain and bring people in from all over N.C. to take them fishing for 3-day excursions, wining and dining them along the way.

Over the years I have worked with artists like Jill Troutman, Lona Cox, Larry Johnson, Skee Johnson and others.  I have attended their classes many times over the years and worked with them to create works of art for fund raising. When I am not doing charter trips and the wind blows, I draw on these boxes that I purchase, then meticulously burn the images with a 1000-degree wood burner, then paint them to complete the boxes. They are then sealed with lacquer or clear acrylic.

I believe in conservation of our resources. I use my art to help raise funds for charities supporting conservation.  I hope that anyone who purchases my art will enjoy it as much as I enjoy making it, as I sit on my porch watching the wind blow and wondering what my next fishing expedition will bring or how the next box will turn out.