Artist and model ship builder David H. Large paints sea dragons, seascapes, and builds model ships -- schooners and other sailboats – from Troy, where he once operated his own gallery until a year ago. The reason he closed the Troy gallery was because his sales of paintings and ship models over the Internet, via our own KooteNet, were so good that he couldn't keep up with the orders.

The former architectural consultant-turned salmon and tuna boat captain, sells his ocean scene paintings and models from Troy on the WWW, as well as in many galleries around the U.S. By July 1997, he was doing so well he decided to establish his own special Internet domain, and in January of this year he launched "seadragon.com". It's not a total Internet business, "however, because of the Internet sales, I have a seven model backlog and have no paintings in stock," says Large, adding that "I have to paint the marine art as the orders come in." He has a two-month waiting period for his model schooners, he says.

In October of last year, Caroline Productions, the production company that films the network TV series "Touched by an Angel" contacted Large and ordered an authentic Venetian gondola for one of its episodes. "We had a two week time slot to research, construct and ship the model -- and we made the deadline," he says.

Large has done other work for Caroline Productions and has occasional other projects for the film and TV industry but the bulk of his direct sales come from the Internet and through galleries.

Asked if it is difficult for a seaman to be so far from an ocean, Large said that it is. "As with any professional waterman, I enjoy being safe on land only for as long as it takes to make the vessel fast to the dock, then it's looking back out to sea and wishing I were out there again."

Sea Dragon went online with KooteNet in the fall of 1996 with the help of Dale Nelson, Tony Pajas and Don Brown, according to Large who now says that his web site has far exceeded what he thought it could accomplish. "I went into this with the hope that we could get some nationwide exposure, not necessarily sales. We have received both."

Why sea dragons? "Somewhere in the vast ocean there must be at least one [real] dragon," Large tells us on his web site. His fantasy art is totally dedicated to the mythical beast, and all emerge from a realistic marine setting.

Perhaps making small ships and painting oceans is a way of dreaming about a life of stinging salt air, blistering sun and the feeling of unlimited freedom. Surely, the truth is that you can take a man out of the sea but not the sea out of the man. However, you can take the man's dreams and sail them out onto the electronic sea.