Model Boats By John Into

INTO THINGS, L.L.C.

A bit about myself...

Throughout my life I have been surrounded with philosphies of art and engineering and boats were always present in some way, shape or form. My mother and sister are professional artists, as was my grandmother. Due to their understanding of the importance of art, I attended various art classes, throughout my childhood, learning about painting and sculpture and these teachings were reinforced during summers spent with my grandmother. My father and brother are both professional engineers. My father began my education in drafting and very basic principles of design in my early teens. I studied basics of woodworking and metal work in high school and apprenticed in general carpentry and cabinetmaking in Vermont. My father's father held a Masters License and was the one that taught me the most about boats. His brother, my great uncle, was the first boat modeler that I can remember. His models taught me the value of "scratch-built". I have also been a professional musician and attended the Berklee College of Music and I have a BS in Psychology from Boston University. For some examples of the art and industrial work of my family, please check out this site created by my brother, Stephen. Just remember to come back.

Having lived most of my life in New England, I now live on Maryland's Eastern Shore between St.Michaels and Tilghman Island. It is a beautiful place, generally quiet, with rockfish, bald eagles, osprey, great blue herons and wonderful views over the water. Being an avid boater, in addition to making models of them, it is a great place to be. This is an area where some boats are still made of wood; more of fiberglass, but a place where the knowledge of building boats is still prevalent. There are several boat-builders within hundreds of yards of my workshop who have given me wonderful insight into local boat design and history. Some of them are third generation, and possess rare knowledge. My shop is in a boathouse, formerly "Jones' Boatyard", which operated for the majority of the 1900's. It once had 3 piers, 2 marine railways and a general store. It still has 2 piers and both railways, although one is unserviceable and the motor was removed from the other before I arrived. The building is famous locally for having been accidently bombed following world war II. It has wonderful character and is an ideal place for making boats, even if they are much smaller than those made 50 years ago, which were as large as 43' long.

In addition to my experiences here and in New England, I have traveled throughout this country and Canada, and have always made it a point to learn about regional boats. My collection of photographs is quite large. I have filed away large amounts of data about boats for a long time. While one would expect to see differences in work boats by region, I have found it interesting to note that differences even extend to fiberglass pleasure boats from place to place.

I have now been making models for over 35 years, the last 7 professionally, and have made over 200 boats. I exhibit my boats at shows around the country. This year I will be traveling to Clayton, New York; Mystic, Connecticut; Lake Tahoe, California, Ocean City, Maryland; Havre De Grace, Maryland; Chincoteague, Virginia; Hampton, Virginia and here, in St. Michaels, to name a few places. Please check my shows list to see my work in person, as well as that of many other fine artists and crafters.