Gordon Frickers' Blog » Brian Simpson

TODAY ~ * Exhibition of The Art of Gordon Frickers * ~ at The European Parliament

Gordon Frickers — Mon, 23 May 2011 06:25:23 +0000

Here we go to set up and attend the reception for “Life on the Ocean Wave“, THE long awaited exhibition at the European Parliament of The Art of Gordon Frickers.

You only exhibit at the European Parliament by invitation.

Invitations are rare. Few artists are invited.

This day I drive to Brussels from my secure overnight parking at Watten provided by my good friends Gilles and Bridgitte Baffy.

If you were so unfortunate as to miss this event there are lots of photos with this article; enjoy a first ever event, the largest collection of The Art of Gordon Frickers ever shown and a moment in art history, a great evening, wonderful recognition and an endorsement, an honour for all the artists who work in this discipline.

I did not fully realise until I was in the European Parliament and talking with people that artists are not often invited.

Thus we are that much more fortunate to have the endorsement of this exhibition which is also the first time a marine artist has been invited to show at a European Parliament exhibition.

The the variety of the work shown surprised and delighted, a typical comment was -

It is wonderful! Your work is so varied, and of consistently very high quality. I am absolutely thrilled to see it all together like that. So many lovely paintings, each with its own beauty. The writings attached in the book really do add an extra dimension, making it very personal.

Each MEP can only invite 2 exhibitions during his/her 5 years in office and there are many worthy causes; for example in the next bay to our exhibition was “50 years of Amnesty International”.

They had lectures, a share of the VIP’s, champagne and lots of yellow balloons.

Some wag said given their appeasement, often biased reporting and favouring of terrorists who they see as ‘underdogs’, what an appropriate colour for Amnesty International…

We had the brighter looking and some said more professional looking show.

Setting course at 08.30 via Dunkirk for the European Parliament loading bay where 2 and a half years after the initial invitation I plan to put on an exhibition the like of which the European Parliament people will never have seen before.

My TomTom GPS would not indicate the exact road in Brussels, mischievously producing 2 of the same name thus the possibility of going to entirely the wrong part of the city.

Fortunately Gilles and Brigitte had given me a map of Brussels so I could choose the next nearest road and trick the TomTom into taking me where I wished.

The TomTom was however invaluable particularly when entering the city and bought me to the road next to the one I wanted so in heavy traffic I missed my turning but once I knew where it was after a slight tour on the second attempt I docked successfully and met Phillip Ball assistant to Brian Simpson MEP and my guide and aid for the duration of the show.

Phil has been very helpful co ordinating preparations easing the passage through the rules and red tape during the run up.

Nothing phased or threw him, he was always patient and positive, great qualities.

We immediately found the place I was to unload had been changed which may or may not have lead to discovering the check in had no documents for my arrival…

Unphased as usual Phil sorted that out and a badge later my heavily laden car entered the docking area where we were told we had to unload immediately and take the car out.

No way was I leaving the paintings unattended in the docking bay!

All ended happily, I was even given permission to park the car all day in the bay area, bending the rules and very kind.
I was soon to learn that the European Parliament rules are complex and trying, designed to cover all possibilities but what actually happens is much more human and sensible.

Many people I meet seem to think an exhibition is just a matter of hanging a few pictures, a doddle. I hope they have been and are following this tale …

It took us 5 hours to register, park, unload, move the pictures to floor 3, unpack, hang, clear away the packaging and make ready for the evening.

During that time Alan and Jan Warren arrived with the booklets.

Here is the ISBN numberfor “Life on the Ocean Wave“, which can be purchased online (£12.95 + P&P+) from page

http://www.frickers.co.uk/blog/making-a-payment/

0 – 978-0-9569109-0-5

Alan who many of us know works for Yachting World had very kindly resolved a problem and saved me £850.

My designer / printers, Adaptgraphics of Plymouth have performed brilliantly.

For large format try alan@adaptgraphics.com or Richard for general digital print enquiries rich@adaptgraphics.com

For various reasons, none their fault we were faced with a courier bill to get the booklets to Brussels of £900. …

I first met Alan at the Monaco Yacht Show 2009 where he generously said “At last I have met the famous marine artist Gordon Frickers”.

Alan kindly agreed to have the booklets sent to his home, cost £25.00 and to bring them to the exhibition.

Alan even texted me so I knew all was going to plan.

Meanwhile Phil and I had the paintings in place.

Then it was only a matter leave setting up the drinks and nibbles to the EP catering and of struggle through heavy traffic to find my Hotel La France and parking for the night, shower, change and take a taxi for the preview.

Even with a badge I had difficulty getting back in for my own exhibition!

Fortunately again sense over ruled rules and the security chief became one of my first guests.

Dr Michael Baker was another of my guests.

It was Michael’s mother who commissioned the painting HMS Formidable, 1942 – Seafires returning

http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/formidable_seafires.html.

It was this painting which first drew Brian Simpson to www.frickers.co.uk and of which he ordered 2 prints as you can discover by clicking on the attached letter.

Brian told Michael he was very envious and wished he owned the original which of course Michael won’t even think of selling.

At 19.00 Brian Simpson made a short and very appropriate speach explaining some thing of how the show came to be (see attached letter here and or in the booklet)

thus opening the show.

I was asked to speak so brushed over what made this show so special which is quite a lot or at least enough to get me talking.

I thanked everyone present for helping to make art history by their presence and to make the occasion.

Then in appreciation Brian’s role creating the event which included getting the invitation and giving me so much of Phillip Ball’s time, I presented Brian with the final working drawing of the Formidable painting.

The drawing almost reduced Brian to tears.

I was surprised, I thought it a rather a good drawing…

I hear from Phil it was hung in Brian’s office, pride of place, withing 24 hrs.

During the evening we enjoyed a steady stream of very interesting people, VIP’s, people who will become VIP’s, friends and others some of whom I hope become new friends.

A problem I’ve not overcome is how to find time for everyone.

Thee were several guests with who I spoke only briefly and would have loved to have had more time and have them join us for dinner after.

It’s at times like this I could really do with an assistant.

The time must come soon to consider a business plan and investors to achieve the turnover The Art of Gordon Frickers is capable of raising, and including a personal assistant and professional marketing.

After which I was very pleased to take some of the good friends I am fortunate to have to a nearby Italian restaurant and treat them then finally by taxi to the hotel and some serious sleeping.

Not that the adventure was over.

There is more to come including further surprises before this tale has returned to it’s home port.

Marine Art progress

Gordon Frickers — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:03:32 +0000

I am still exchanging emails re the European Parliament Marine Art Exhibition at Brussels.

We are hoping to show about 50 examples of my marine art including prints during May, European Sea Month.

Looks hopeful but nothing in writing yet.

Until they confirm I can’t do much about financial aid, grants, sponsors etc.

This is a great sponsor opportunity for a company wishing to be noticed in a high profile location, excellent soft advertising opportunity.

I have one tentative offer so far from Savage Lighting who among other projects supplied the lighting for the square rigged super yacht Maltese Falcon.

It does have the active backing of Brian Simpson, MEP for Transport so will probably go ahead.

Most of the paintings are ready to go.

I need new frames for some and others I am actively working on in the studio and quietly confident I will have all ready in time.

I have had my best frames hand made to my own designs specially suited to marine painting by Frinton Frames (http://www.frintonframes.co.uk/) for some 25 years.

This exhibition is though a considerable expense for some one in my situation to carry alone.

Also, it seems a shame for other businesses not to reap some benefit at the same time.

Then the question is where to show after the EP, would be good to keep the momentum going?

Here in Itzac, we have had a series of fine, mild sunny days with temperatures dropping to below – 6 at night.

Today in the sun my balcony thermometer was recording 20 C.

Excellent light for painting and makes me hesitate to return to England for the winter, maybe you can understand why?

Over the past few days I have been working on a series of marine paintings.

Most will be familiar if you have read earlier entries of this blog.

The largest physically will be a moon light scene of Plymouth Cattewater.

This historic stretch of water, the mouth of the river Plym at the junction of Plymouth Sound and Sutton Harbour has seen countless voyages commence from at least as far back as the Phoenicians who visited the place the Saxon’s named Sutton Harbour and also Mount Batten to trade.

Francis Drake, first captain to circumnavigate the globe, and many of the great Elizabethan seamen sailed from this very stretch of water, here the battle fleet of Queen Elizabeth the first waited for months and eventually sailed to combat with Spain’s great ‘Invincible’ Armada.

The Pilgrim Fathers in Mayflower and literally countless other emigrants sailed from Plymouth Cattewater.

James Cook, William Bligh, Horatio Nelson, all knew Plymouth as a point of departure.

Great liners formaly graced Plymouth Sound, they though like the modern navy did not use the smaller historic Cattewater.

Today though, the boats from luxurious cruise ships do visit.

Some roll of honour?

More recently flying boats operating from Mount Batten taxied on these waters and patroled in World War 2 hunting U-boats while the Americans used Plymouth Cattewater extensively while preparing a more modern armada, the largest in history, for D Day.

The first single handed transatlantic yacht race sailed form here (”Blondie” Hasler raced Francis Chichester for ‘half a crown’ (a 2 shiilings and 6 pence coin) after a bet at the bar of the Royal Western Yacht Club).

I kept my own yacht “Music Maker” on a mooring in the lee of Mount batten in the days when I had a family.

Can you be very sure more famous sailors will continue to make Plymouth Cattewater their point of departure?

Cattewater, maybe you know the origin of the name?

The colouring of this marine painting will be based on the many times my family and I “rolled” out of the Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club after Wednesday evening dinghy racing followed by a meal and drinks with our fellows.

Also on the stunning moon rises I saw from the beach last autumn at Hossigur.

You may not believe it to see the attached pop up progress report but, the scene will show the emigrant clipper Samuel Plimsoll and the (now demolished) emigration buildings at Phoenix Wharf.

The site has been a disgrace to Plymouth for the past 25 years thus I hope the painting will help influence the council to redevelop sensitively and intelligently.

So far, there has been talk in Plymouth of offering me an exhibition after the exhibition at Brussels but nothing firmly done.

Will Plymouth miss the chance presented here?

When I started this painting I did not fully appreciate how important the art work would be.

Like most people I’d heard of Samuel Plimsoll, knew of the Plimsoll Line (as used by the merchant ships of some 60 plus nations today) and of the plimsoll shoe.

I was pleased to find a very suitable ship for my painting called Samuel Plimsoll.

The Samuel Plimsoll sailed regularly from Plymouth to Australia with emigrants during the 1870’s and 80’s, returning with the new wool clip, racing such illustrious ships as Cutty Sark and from the same builders, Thermopylae.

I am researching the history of Samuel Plimsoll the ship, maybe you know some thing of her?

As for her mane sake, if you like social history and wish to rediscover a very remarkable Englishman, The Plimsoll Sensation by Nicolette Jones, ISBN 978-0-349-1720-1 is a gripping read, a formidable achievement by Mrs. Jones, deservedly acclaimed by both the popular and the more high brow nautical press.

Several other marine paintings are intended for the European Parliament Exhibition are alongside the Plymouth Cattewater scene in the studio, more about them in the next few days…

Sorry to have missed the National Scorpion do, 50th anniversary of Taprell Dawling designing the Scorpion sailing boat.

For me it is rather ancient history, would have been nice to see the folks and hear who is doing has done what; Happy days.

Of all the boats I owned the one I miss most is Wellington, Wayfarer 6778, pictures here at Bodinnick Ferry, Fowey, Cornwall.

I built her after I finished in Scorpions.

Was that really in 1979…?

I don’t feel much older.

My mirror disagrees though ~ mirrors should be specially made, sympathetic to people over 40?

The Scorps were unforgettable, so where many of the people, a heap of fun !