With Peter Goodwin and the cutter Alert.

We spoke in detail of Alert‘s history and of the Junon and Alert, as possible paintings prepared with the author and much respected naval historian Peter Goodwin.

This to be part of a project, a series of paintings about His Majesties armed cutter Alert.

To include Alert‘s capture of the American commerce raider, the brig  USS Lexington which operated quite successfully out of Morlais, Brittany – until she met the cutter Alert.

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Marine prints, an easier way to buy

I’m in the beautiful village of Shilton in the Cotswold hills near Oxford.
The frost has not thawed today despite a mostly clear sky.
I am in 4 layers starting with thermals and fighting off a chill, otherwise OK thank you.
We are working on various issues including redesigning the Print Gallery on my web site intending to make purchasing significantly easier.

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From a frosty Shilton near Oxford.

Yesterday I visited the historic Gloucester Docks to begin researching for a possible historic port painting, to eventually go into print to form a series with others including Port of Chester and Plymouth Cattewater.

I was also interviewed by a journalist for a profile in Marine Quarterly, it was quite fun, the interview taking place over a working lunch in the pub, Tall Ship to be found at the South Dock Gate.
He, Sam Llewellyn is a clever, interesting and entertaining bloke, author of some 18 books, I felt I should be interviewing him not vice versa!

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On the Move

I’m in Plymouth today, have a chill and am moving to Shelton near Oxford via Gloucester today. Heaps to add to this blog which I’ll add as soon as possible, backdating so stand by for a good read.

It's Pickle party Night!

His Britannic Majesty’s armed schooner Pickle, HMS Pickle to most of us, conveying the news of the Battle of Trafalgar fought on the 21st October 1805 and the death of the British hero Nelson arrived off Falmouth, Cornwall, England on the 4th of November 1805.

This date has given rise to Pickle Night, originally an excuse for Royal Navy CPO’s at Portsmouth  to commemorate Trafalgar, increasingly an excuse world wide to party, and why not?urgent_dispatches_in_framed.jpg

The renowned painting, available in print from page http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/urgent_dispatches.htmlI have urgent dispatches” is one of 2 Pickle paintings Gordon Frickers produced while commissioned to work for HMS Victory, helping to raise funds for the restoration of the HMS Victory.

Thus this famous picture reproduced in several authoritative books and many newspapers, has several themes, sub plots including communication:

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