Home » Blog » diary » rig safety lines

rig safety lines

Attention on deck, rig safety lines, lash everything movable down before opening the attached.
The attached gives you and idea of where Chupra has been navigated to as of early this evening.
As you can see I’ve been busy since the last photoshoot.

Chupra near finished 31.08.17
Chupra near finished 31.08.17

My perspective is the painting is 90 % complete.
I intend quite a lot more progress soon but then it’s been a long voyage.

Chupra, detail 1, near finished 31.08.17
Chupra, detail 1, near finished 31.08.17

To acquire or commission a similar painting, simple, secure, place a deposit or payment on our Payment page for your Gordon Frickers original painting (or in some cases a Heritage quality print) or feel free to

Contact Us

T: + 44 (0)1865 52 2435  Mobile 00 33 (0) 6 10 66 19 26

or Skype ‘gordonfrickers’

Email: artistfrickers at gmail.com

My chart suggests the sky should be lighter as in paler colours including the blue bit top left.
For sure the sea will receive more attention and of course Chupra needs to be more ship shape, sharpened up and many small details sorted out.
I’m worrying about the colours, I’ve yet again pushed limits.
However, I’ll alter the sky before worrying to much about the rest of the painting.
As Paul Cezanne pointed out, and I am literally of ‘his school’, any change in colour affects the whole painting.
What I don’t want is the sea tone as dark as ‘Spirit of Mystery’.

Chupra, detail 2, near finished 31.08.17
Chupra, detail 2, near finished 31.08.17
Looking in more detail at the ship a number of issues have surfaced.
A careful examination of the available photos including in B I by Laxon & Perry, published by The World Ship Society 1994, ISBN o 905617 65 7, page 176, and the GA  supplied by my client, confirms as expected, the C Class sisters varied in appearance individually and over the course of their lives.
This sets me a slight problem establishing the appearance of Chupra during Barney’s days commanding.
I have the final word now, I’m in command mine is the responsibility!
The Bridge, in particular the windows vary from ship to ship.
Chupra, in the most modern photo possibly dated 1971, taken in the English Channel that I have still has the 1944 style bridge windows were as some of her sisters have more ‘panoramic ‘bridge windows.
Other variations significant in our painting include masts, vents and some of the sisters have a boot topping, Chupra doesn’t in any of the photos I have.

Chupra, detail 3, near finished 31.08.17
Chupra, detail 3, near finished 31.08.17
The most important ‘variation’ is some photos show a name under the bow, some don’t.
My shots of Chupra don’t.
However, I’d like to ‘include in’ Chupra’s name on the grounds it helps the uninitiated identify our ship and the name may have been retouched out of the photos to make them more widely attractive to C Class people, a common ploy by photographers back in the 1960’s which was when I attended my first art college & photography classes, (Maidstone 1995).
While aware there is still some fine tuning needed to the ship and how she sits in her wave, I’m happy with the general balance of the painting, with the appearance so far of Chupra which already includes some nice details like the curved corners of the superstructure and water jetting from unusual places.
It seems to me to be a busy, engaging painting for such a deceptively simple composition.

Chupra, detail 4, near finished 31.08.17
Chupra, detail 4, near finished 31.08.17
This will be another painting many people will remember.

Gordon Frickers, the only artist member of British Marine
Gordon Frickers, the only artist member of British Marine
Marine Trades Association Member
Marine Trades Association Member