I have been very busy completing and photographing all sorts of paintings in the past few months.
You may have followed on this blog my struggle to get the best results out of a Canon D 60?
Very soon we will start to blog and web site the new marine paintings with as much of their stories as I have time to write so watch this space.

I am hoping to have my Laperouse at Botany Bay painting completed in time to be included in the catalogue and the show.

The arrival of Laperouse at Botany Bay was an extraordinary moment.

I have read some of the original accounts.
Almost as if stage managed and yet this was the equivalent of arriving on Mars, the French entered the bay the very day the British ‘First Fleet’ was leaving.
Several artists have had a go at this moment.
I think though there is plenty of scope for an original “Frickers”.
Thus I am preparing exactly that. 
My research has taken me to some fascinating places, Albi being foremost and including a (for me at least) a breath taking moment at the UK Hydrographic Office.
The UKHO is a government and secure building responsible for among other things the most modern “Admiralty” charts on paper and these days on digital formats made to the very highest standards and available to any mariner including you and I.
There simply is no better chart than a UKHO Admiralty chart.
The UKHO may not at first seem a great subject.

The UKHO does though has a long fascinating history closely involved with the birth of the world as we know it today and the UKHO continues to discreetly influence all our daily lives.

I was given special permission to enter and was honoured to be treated like a celebrity, most kindly.
I was shown many treasures some of which will feature in other new paintings.
In this case I found myself examining with an original chart of Botany Bay draw by one of the officers of Captain James Cook and HMS Endeavour.
This would have been the very same chart that drew the First Fleet to Australia and lead to the discovery of Port Jackson and the development of the town of Sydney then onto the colonisation of Australia by Europeans.
This same chart would have drawn Laperouse to Botany Bay and his last rendezvous (do the French have a word for rendezvous?) with Europeans before he and his ships vanished into the Pacific Ocean and eternity.

To that end I was in the Museum in Albi yesterday researching the 2 French ships “l’Astrolabe” and “La Boussole” (Boussole means compass and Astolabe ahh excuse me,  you can probably figure that one out with out me! ) and an exhibition of my marine paintings there was proposed at the museum, very nice of them.
You may be aware the voyage of Laperouse was literally the French response to the voyages of James Cook which created huge excitement and had an enormous impact on Europeans.
The French considered Captain Cook so important they forbade all French ships from attacking Captain Cook’s ship Endeavour.
Other countries soon issued similar commands including the U.S.A.

The Laperouse Museum of Albi is an easily missed gem well worth an hour. 

The Laperouse Museum is very small but a beautiful museum placed hard beside the river Tarn and with a very active society. 
Interest in the voyage of Laperouse is growing with more of the places the voyage touched requesting exhibitions.

Albi was home for Laperouse whose very adventurous voyage ended in mystery, hence the Museum of Laperouse in the old town and his very impressive statue near the centre.
Albi is a beautiful town quietly going its own way.
For my money Albi is one of the most pleasant and fun towns I have encountered.
It is beautiful and there is always some thing interesting going on from music to motor racing, night clubs to the world class Museum of Toulouse Lautrec.
UNESCO seems to agree.
Last year Albi was given UNESCO World Heritage status. 
Happily for the region this has already had a noticeable effect boosting tourism to the little known but beautiful province of Tarn some 25%.

Peter is very concerned that there are structural problems in Victory caused by poor repairs and the committees responsible are not listening to him …

Thus I was able to bring Peter some moral support and light relief with some marine news.

I’d previously emailed Peter Goodwin as discussed when I last visited HMS Victory last December (see blog entry 5 Dec http://www.frickers.co.uk/blog/2009/12/05/portsmouth-hms-victory-and-pickle/.
My email had not arrived, just as well I phone today?
I had attached a draft letter of introduction worded as nearly as I can recall, to the original from Captain Mike Cheshire, the then commander of HMS Victory.
The original letter was on official ship’s stationary and would have been dated about May 1995.

The letter  was unique, an honour, more it was very useful, opening doors all over Europe greatly aiding  my research for HMS Victory.
It enabled me to access many rare documents and artifacts in turn leading to some ground breaking research.

I was greeted with enthusiasm and given unlimited co operation in places as far afield as Liverpool, Madrid, London and San Sebastian Naval Base, Brest and Cadiz, Paris and Plymouth.

Unfortunately I left the original with the marine Museum in Madrid and can’t find the last copy I had.
I’d like to show some thing with the above date on my web site as part of the Trafalgar project.

It would also be very helpful to have an up dated copy similar or same wording from Peter Goodwin to use during current ongoing research.

For example, last month I was in the Musee Marine National, Paris.
While they were polite, no one was very helpful, an opportunity missed.
Next Month I will be in Brest around the 12th 15th and possibly visit La Hermione so a new letter would be most helpful.

My addresses are:

Gordon Frickers
41a Oak Tree Park
Glenholt
Plymouth
Devon
PL6 7JZ

Gordon Frickers
Les Lilas, ITZAC
81170 CORDES, France

Alert and Lexington

We know the British cutter Alert captured the American brig, commerce raider, Lexington.

I have made a start by re reading various books here.

While I don’t have anything on Alert, I did make a little progress re Lexington.
It appears Lexington was a converted merchant ship.
As far as I can tell from the preliminary research, no plan or reliable illustration exists of her so we have a clean shot at this.

Peter offered to contact colleagues at  the National Maritime Museum Greenwich (London) as the National Maritime Museum Greenwich archives may have a plan of Lexington.
After capture Lexington was brought into the Royal Naval Dockyard, Plymouth so was very likely measured and had her lines taken as was the custom at Plymouth in those days.

You probably know, it appears she was a typical American trader of her period.
I have quite a lot of colour pictures of such ships here.
I have not as yet searched the Internet or raised this with my friends in the U.S.A. or other possible sources.

As for a painting, I am happy to produce one on “spec”, to be used in any way we think helpful, as usual I’m open to ideas.
I can start painting as soon as you wish, anytime after the end of February would be good.
Thus the sooner we can sort out our ideas the sooner I can begin sketches for us to discuss.
If you have the time I’d like to get started ASAP, before I am to involved in the coming exhibition at the European Parliament (date to be set, possibly mid May as that is European Sea Week).

Other marine news

Last week I attended a meeting of the L’association Laperouse.
There are several opportunities there which may interest you?

You are probably aware Laperouse was the French answer to James Cook?
The society has a good web site including copy in various languages.

The society is very active and in touch with museums at many places Laperouse ships visited.
I wrote up the evening on my blog, http://www.frickers.co.uk/blog/, 22 January.

Possibly the most interesting news for you and I though is the society has:
Good connections in France and abroad.
The senior people appreciate they are getting old and are concerned to find younger people to “take over”.
They wish to seek links with other European societies and museums of the great and pioneering explorers and navigators.

This with the aim of a joint presentation to the European Parliament for funds.

The present Museum is in the old quarter of Albi, Laperouse home town.
The Museum is interesting and constantly being improved.
However they are quite unaware of your marvelous work on Victory and as the Museum is about the same size of one of Laperouse ships, there are possible opportunities…?

I look forward to your thoughts on the above.

Very best wishes to you and Katie,

Gordon

P.S.

We spoke of cabin interior colour schemes, in particular the use of natural wood  and white paint in Nelson’s cabins.

After, and you may have thought of this before, I remembered when working years ago on the model of George Anson’s famous Centurion (the ship which captured the greatest treasure ever taken at sea) at the NMM Greenwich I was shown how they had put an endoscope (the sort of camera surgeons use) inside some of the models and been amazed to find many had the interiors painted in the styles of the time even though once the model was complete no one was likely to ever see the details again.

Maybe some new research here would help you with the cabin interiors of Victory?
As a trained photographer, if it helps, I’d be happy to help interpret the pictures obtained.
We might well find enough new information for hours and beers of discussion and to support a definitive point for the benefit of  HMS Victory!

You may be aware of Laperouse? 

Laperouse, navigator and discoverer was literally the French answer to Captain James  Cook and the HMS Endeavour.

The second photo shows principally Henry Féral, Préfet honoraire, Maire de Puycelsi giving his obligatory speech which included a round up of the years activities and future dates.

Maybe you are aware, Comte, Captain, Laperouse, navigator and discoverer, or more formally,  Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse (1741-88), with 2 ships, La Boussole and L’Astrolabe was one of the early European pioneers to enter the Pacific ocean on a voyage of science and discovery?

All Europe had been stunned by the achievements of James Cook.

The French in particular with their enthusiasm for science and discovery greatly admired James Cook.

So much so that the French king expressly forbade any French ship from interfering with the voyages of James Cook (other English ships remaining fair game!).

In turn, Cook’s men voluntarily and sportingly agreed not to attack French ships.

The Spanish and Americans followed suite, ensuring James Cook’s safe passage from their ships.

The King of France took a personal interest in the voyage of Laperouse.

Many of the documents relating to the voyage have the King’s hand writing in the margins.

~

Today interest in Laperouse is growing, worldwide.

Laperouse was born in Albi, at that time a city of some 9,000 inhabitants.

Albi is in central SW France (near my studio at Itzac) so fittingly this city has a very small museum in his honour.

The museum is curiously, just about the same size as the inside of one of his ships.

It is of course completely over shadowed by Albi’s other museum which is world class and  dedicated to the great artist Toulouse Lautrec.

However, interest in Laperouse is growing world wide including an exhibition currently on tour and recently in Paris and St Malo.

There are now museums commemorating the voyage of Laperouse on the West coast of the USA, East coast of Russia and notably in Australia at

La Perouse Museum, Botany Bay National Park Anzac Parade

The British received La Pérouse courteously, sent a pilot boat and offered him any assistance he might need.

La Pérouse sent many of his journals and letters to Europe with a British ship, others having been sent previously via Russia (Vladivostok).

Just as well as the voyage of Laperouse was doomed.

The voyage of Laperouse touched many shores.

Tragically one to many, the ships were wrecked.

Far better is to visit the museum at Albi or the very informative web site  http://www.laperouse-france.fr/

One of the many things I have come to like about this charming museum and L’association Laperouse is how active they are.

New exhibits and new discoveries appear on every visit I have made.

In the coming year, L’association Laperouse is particularly interested to forge links with other museums in Europe dedicated to the great explorers.

This with a view to presenting joint proposals to the European Parliament for funding ongoing projects and exhibitions.

Maybe you have contacts who could further this aim?

If so kindly email me ASAP, thanks.

~

As usual the version in Wikipedia is not correct.

You would do better to read the account a copy of the first published account of the settlement of Australia.

Landscape painting  that is, painting plien aire (out doors)  is currently quite a challenge with temperatures often up to the mid 30’s C in the shade.  

 A hot summer here in the Tarn around Gaillac and Albi, at least by English standards of summer weather.

Rain here is mostly at night and usually about once in 10 nights or less, that’s the good news.

The bad news is is it is often in the form of violent squalls which the locals call storms.

Last night we had a good example of such a squall.

For about an hour winds gusted up to 60 m.p.h. and hail whitened the ground before heavy rain turned my street into a river while hail beat against the front door leaving a 6″ “escarpment” of hailstones to greet my opening the door!

My terrace / veranda which has no scuppers became a paddling pool and part of the basement flooded due to a leaking Veranda. You can get and idea of the drama when I say, branches of trees and in a few cases whole trees were knocked down.

The favourite but not exclusive pattern of the weather here in summer is it gets progressively hotter each day until thunder storms role out from the Pyrenees mountains 100 ish miles away.

Many of my friends think this far inland is a strange plave to find a marine painting specialist. 

Still, this is a small price to pay for living in such beautiful sunny light where I can work more effectively with colours, eat. drink and socialise more than I ever did in England  and live with such amiable people.

An amusing French expression much used at Castelnau de Montmiral at present. Tous les jours ce n’est pas du temps de saison – all and every day it is not the weather for the season.

In the Gaillac and Albi region gold means the vines and has done for some 2000 years.

It is the colour of the vineyards in late October. This year change is coming fast. Normally winter is thought here to arrive on the 1st of November (after Halloween).

Following several days of heavy rain and North winds, this morning the temperature dropped to 3C. Kind of hard to believe only 2 weeks ago were were in t shirts, shorts and sandels.

Today is sunny but chilli, ideal for painting in the studio; I’m working on the sea for a series of dhows.

The next 2 days forecast is more rain followed by a return to brilliant sunshine.

Meanwhile, back in the studio, anyone know anything about dolphins and sea birds of the Arabian Gulf and Persian Gulf?

Some reference photos would be very helpful.
When the sun returns which is usually soon does here (no S.A.D. syndrome in the Tarn) I am hoping for some warmer temperatures so I can escape the studio and work with the vines and morning mists.