I’ve taken some classic photos of Carcassonne, never quite like this  though.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI2FAV8j-r8

Does it look as if these people know how to party?

Welcome to the amazing SW of France, the land of gold, Haut Languedoc

England v France, you want to be where?

Can you please advise of any connection and perhaps help with dating.
Thanking You for your kind attention.
Mike Robins
~
Good morning Mike Robins,
I’ll try and help.

You have not given much information to work with.
A photograph and dimensions would help as would knowing the subject matter and any history of the painting which you might have.
Signed W A Frickers suggests a connection; this is likely to be the work of Mrs. Winifred Ann Frickers known friends as Ann, now deceased, my mother.
Kind regards,
Gordon Frickers
~
Hello,
Many Thanks indeed for your prompt response.

It would be wonderful if there was a connection, the work is, in my humble opinion, done by a very capable artist.

It measures approx 26 x 15 ins, I have attached a picture, perhaps this would help you to identify it.
Again, many Thanks.
Mike Robins
~
Greetings Mike,
I can’t quite make out the signature from your photo. 
I did not know all my mother’s paintings so can’t be 100% sure however it looks like one of hers.
Kind regards,
Gordon Frickers
~
Hello Gordon,
Me again, you may recall that I mailed you last week regarding a picture I had just acquired which I thought may have some connection with your good self.

Well, I have received the painting today, and like it very much, and it would indeed appear to have been painted by your Mum.

I have attached some pictures, you will note on the rear there is the name and an address in Carlyon Bay, the picture is titled ‘After Sunset’.

Did your Mum produce much work?

Would you have any idea as to when this work was done.

It was sold to me as being a scene from Carlyon Bay, however I cannot recognise the view, again, any ideas?
I hope you don’t mind me contacting you, and again Thank You in advance for any information you maybe able to provide.
Kindest Regards
Mike Robins
~
G’day Mike,
Thanks for the attachments.
No problem re contacting me, you are welcome.
Nice story, would you mind if I add this to my blog with your photos?
Yes that is my mother’s signature and I am fairly sure I recall her showing me this painting partly because it is so unusual. 
“Did your Mum produce much work?” – a relative term; she painted for some 30 years, first when she lived at Beckenham, Kent, latterly at Carlyon Bay, as an amateur.
After he retired so did my Father.
Both had a life long interest in the visual arts, painting in particular, and knew some distinguished artists, the portrait painter Jerry de Rose being one.
Mum painted mostly flowers and landscapes.
I can only guess at how many, maybe some 20 a year on average for 25 years.
Her pictures proved popular, many selling locally for 100 to 300 pounds.
A few of her paintings were quite exploratory, this being a good example.
For what it is worth I think her best work especially her floral pictures were very good and one day could be worth much more.
I guess this picture was painted in the mid 1990’s.
The scene is a view of St Austell Bay based on one of my Father’s photographs, probably taken near Pentwean.

The view reminds me of my time living at Polmear Parc behind Par beach, happy days…
Kind regards,
Gordon
~
Hello Gordon,
Thanks again for coming back to me and the insight into your Mums work.

You are more than welcome to use the photos in whatever form or medium you wish.

I like the picture very much (even more now I know where it is!), and photos do not do it justice.
So, you used to be a local boy, living in Par? It’s a great part of the world, I lived in St. Austell for 25 years, until work took me away, only up the road to Liskeard, but I would like to return to live in St. Austell again sometime soon (even though some things have changed, and not necessarily for the better!)
I’m really glad to have made the connection and found you thanks to the wonders of the Internet.

Your works are simply fantastic, and your website is a joy to visit.
All the very best to you for the future.
Regards
Mike
~

Could you help us in evaluating this picture please, as we believe it is by Gordon Frickers (signed) 16X12inches, 
the painting is of a turtle.

the only information on the painting is:
Gordon Frickers
The Boat House Studio
86, Polmear Parc
Par, Cornwall
Phone 072 681 5273

Thank you for your help.

Happily we were able to confirm this as an early Gordon Frickers painting, dating to the mid 1980’s when he lived beside the sea iCornwall and produced after his first experience snorkeling in the Red Sea from the beach at Elat, Israel.

One of a series produced at and soon after Gordon Frickers first and so far only visit to Elat.

One wonders what he would produce now, given his work has improved and matured, given the opportunity to return to Elat?

Doing so enhances your credibility and ours , win win.

This also means, coming soon, pictures and histories of a veritable collection of new paintings, book mark this blog for a feast!

We work very hard to share what we do and have a long experience including a degree in photography for Advertising, Fashion and the Press.

After 3 months of experimenting and re shoots…

Caution: check:

ISO and exposure is set to normal, i.e. not + or –

All auto settings off

This camera as with many of its breed tends to default and is also prone to an accidentaly button push.

Best results seem to be:

Long lens and lens hood + tripod.

Settings f 13 ish and shutter speed about 15

ISO 100
Working in bright shade, that is lots of reflected light, bright enough for very very faint shadow.

Today was cloudless and sunny, pictures taken mid afternoon (not mid day).

White balance set on shade or cloudy, little difference.

Picture style set on “faithful” or Neutral.

Exposure Comp. set on normal for unframed pictures, + 1 for framed.

Image quality set at RAW +.

Peripheral Illum set to correct.

Red eye disabled.

Meter timer 16 seconds

All auto settings off

All other settings off or disabled.

White space – Neutral

Colour Space -  sRGB on the advice of Alan Tooze my giclee printer.

Custom white balance – Neutral. I’ve had disappointing results trying this so probably don’t understand how best to use it yet.

My favourite comment was:

Posted on Facebook by an Israeli:
“Dear Egyptian rioters, please don’t damage the pyramids.

We will not  rebuild.

Thank you.”

Speculation on the Egyptian’s future is rife ranging from Iranian backed protesters who want to see a similar state to Iran to the pro West  who want to see Egypt move into a freer more prosperous age.

While in the long run there is more at stake, Israelis of course fear their peace treaty with Egypt, honoured by both sides for some 30 years is at risk.

Hi Gordon. While we are working towards the new painting, is there any possibility the frame can be saved?

It is blackened and a small piece of the centre plaster piece at the top has broken off.

Is it worth it?”

Maybe.

Depending where you buy a frame like that they cost anywhere from about £350
to 2000.
The better frames which I supply for a very attractive price are still hand made.

I recommend you think of this as a project and if successful you have a restored hand made frame as a bonus.

You could try gently wiping it with a soft damp cloth or sponge, cleansing the cloth/sponge after each wipe.
Beware making the frame to wet, of the gold finish de laminating.
I suggest start in an area which shows least when the frame is hung.
If that goes well but if not enough, a small amount of washing up liquid in
the water may help.
Stronger cleaning liquids can be tried but are very likely to lift the finish and may even attack primer and the plaster.

To repair the damaged moulding try plaster of Paris mixed to a firm consistency.
This may take several applications to rebuild the shape.
When thoughly set finish with fine sand papers working down through the
grades.
For primer use a water based white acrylic and soft brush.
After, any brush marks can be burnished off with very fine sand paper and a
light touch.

If the gold finish is damaged you may be able to touch it up or even repaint
it with a gold lacquer available from good art shops and online and applied
with a soft brush or sprayed.
Such gold lacquers do darken with time but very slowly (10 years?).

Do please let me know how the attempt goes and if you take photos copies
would be of interest for the blog.

Good story, I’ll blog this answer (not naming you guys) to help others and
if you loose this email we have a copy on the blog.

Wishing you a delicate touch and the best of luck,

Gordon
~

This story started with a painting commissioned in 1991.
The painting itself is 20″ x 30″ with the frame adding quite a bit more.

The clients (friends too) wrote to me on December the 15th last.
At first I did not remember the painting so asked for a photograph.

They sent details and asked, “Hope this is enough to give you a rough guestimate” of its current value.

On seeing the photograph I remember the painting well now or rather what is left of it.
The vessel you may know is the ketch “Shearwater“.

When I knew her she was a training ketch working mostly out of Falmouth, Cornwall.
At that time I too was working out of Falmouth Cornwall.

Shearwater is shown off the Firehills between Hastings and Winchelsea, East Sussex, England.
I probably still have my original notes here in France so replied if you want to go ahead I’ll check in the store room.

The frames alone retail now for £500.00.
You have there a hand made frame all be it slightly roasted.
The list price for a painting like that is now about £ 2,000 to 4,500 depending on how much work is involved; as with all Gordon Frickers paintings a good investment over the years and worth checking your house and other insurance.
~
Unfortunately the painting was not insured…
~
So I was sent the following – “Hi Gordon thanks ever so for replying so quickly and sorry it took so long to get back to you but things here are a bit hectic.

Thanks for the quote for the painting and we will be ordering another one for you but do not get your notes out just yet.
In order to spend that kind of money we have to save up, we don’t have that kind of funds to hand”.

http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/urgent_dispatches.html and on the web site as H.M. Schooner Pickle carrying the news of the battle of Trafalgar.

The gentleman in question wrote:

“Until recently I knew nothing about H M Pickle but have been very interested to read information about the schooner here.

I was doing a little research to find out more about an engraving I have been given.

It is entitled Capture of the two top sail Slave schooner Bolodora by H M Schooner Pickle, Lieut I B B McHardy on the 6th of June 1829 after a chase of fourteen hours and an action of one hour and twenty minutes within pistol shot.
The image of Pickle looks the same as other images I have been able to find.

Her details are given as Tons 125, length 68ft, etc. I see from your site she was wrecked some years previously.

I wondered if she was repaired or a new schooner was built and the name kept.

So far I haven’t been able to find any technical specifications of the original schooner to compare.
The engraving is labeled Painted by W J Higgins Marine painter to his majesty and Published June 10th 1831.

I would be most interested to know if there is any knowledge of her after the wreck”.

~

Anyone know anything that will help our ship mate?

By the way, don’t forget, Pickle Party Night is on the 4th of November!

A beautiful full moon rise here in an almost clear calm sky  heralds the start of the Easter vacations in France.

The most immediate effect of this will be a marked decline in Internet speed as thousands of  kids go online and more Gendarmerie on the roads with portable radar, neither issue helping those of us with work to do!

In general the Internet in France is patchy as is mobile phone reception, neither being as fast and reliable as in England.

Yesterday evening was also the feast of Passover, maybe best know as the last supper which was of course a Passover meal?

In those far off days as now, Jews world wide are commanded to celebrate the Passover, ideally in Jerusalem.

This powerful ancient command, probably 3,000 + years old,  goes a long way to explaining the very strong attachment Jews have for Jerusalem.

An attachment which was old long before Christianity or Islam where developed.

The great majority of Jews were expelled from Israel following a 3 year war for liberty and independence with the mighty Roman Empire.

Empires have come and gone, the Jews are still with us?

They have to their credit never given up their claim to the land of Israel except they have shown a willingness, less so these days though, to give Judea, Gaza and Samaria to the Arabs.

That seems a bit odd to me, particularly Judea; Judea ?

Less well known is that even after the Roman war, there were always a few survivors living in Israel, although Rome forbade the dispersed to return because the war had cost Rome so dearly.

The Jewish lot did not improve with the coming of Christianity.

Islam was not invited into Israel, it arrived with the distinctly unfriendly  slogan “believe or die” made worse with both Jews and Christian Arabs being slaughtered by the crusaders.

Nor was the Jewish lot made comfortable by the Turks.

Napoleon Bonaparte during his middle East campaign invite European Jews to return to Israel.

Of course Nelson at the battle of the Nile  and Sydney Smith at the siege of Acra put a stop to Napoleon ambitions in that region.

During the 19th century, driven by persecution in Europe, the pogroms in Russia and Poland in particular, and aided by improving communications as modern Europe evolved, European Jews began to think more seriously about returning to their traditional home land even though by then most of the once bountiful promised land was desolate.

They were inclined to think, if we are going to be murdered, better to die in Israel and maybe together in the promised land we can survive.

With funds raised to buy land from corrupt Turkish officials many Jewish settlements were founded at great cost in lives in parts of Israel so desolate (then) that the Turks thought it smart to sell the waste land to the Jews; the beginnings of modern Israel.

At Passover the meal is a very traditional feast, particularly children friendly,  with a religious service included and designed to encourage discussion, interaction, reflection and personal development.

Jews have always been commanded at Passover to remember the gift of freedom from oppression, the departure from 400 years of bondage and slavery in Egypt as if each today had personally been one of those present during that exodus, “and thou shalt tell thy son in that day saying: it is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt” (Exodus Xiii, 8).

The reasoning is, had the ancestors not made the Exodus, Jews today would still be slaves or their descendants in Egypt and Jewish history with all it’s incredible adventures, tragedies and achievements, would never have happened.

What might our modern world be  like without the Jewish contributions, achievements in so many varied fields?

Will modern Israel survive the onslaught of Islam, a war now 100 years old?

Some say, ‘A very little people but with a big friend’ and they don’t mean the USA!

Every time the Arabs make war despite a huge advantage in numbers,  they take horrendous casualties and seem to loose more land to Israel, is some one trying to tell them some thing?

Will the Western world survive the encroachment of Islam?

Is Islam such a bad thing?

You can view some of Gordon Frickers paintings of Israel, made some 25 years ago,  from page

http://www.frickers.co.uk/landscape/israel.html

Passover asks profound questions and the Passover with liberty at it’s core is a good time for reflection.

The Passover service has always closed with the words “Next year in Jerusalem“.

3. ok, I was wondering if you can help explain to me about when you talked about “the rudder is going over”.  I know what the rudder is but what do you mean by “going over” thanks ~ “going over” means the rudder is being turned. Some times people would and still do say “Helm over”.

Any other really good ones that you think should be included or even anything slightly humorous he may have shouted out?

That should really help!  I’d like to go back and adjust what needs to be adjusted before I get too far out of the territory and forget what I was doing!

Thank you again for your help, I appreciate it dearly!! -K

Today I added in a new email:

A towel changing poncho/robe.

For a waterproof garment suitable for beach wear, could we could “paint” the outside with a water resistant (not necessarily water proof) layer, a little bit like sailors painting their oil skins years ago.

However it needs to be light weigh and washing machine resistant.

Do you know anyone maybe in Musto, Henri Lloyd, Yacht Parts or a camping, outdoor activity company that would know about such a substance?

Main qualities needed are water resistant, just enough to keen the rain off for 20 minutes, light weigh, and washing machine proof.

Any ideas…???