I have been speaking to Peter Goodwin, Curator and Keeper of HMS Victory and author of numerous definitive books on historic marine subjects.

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. (more…)

Gibraltar, Nelson, HMS Minerve, HMS Captain is beginning to reveal how the final marine painting will look.

There have been some significant developments in this marine painting  including Gordon Frickers is able to be the first, here to show  some results of collaboration, new research into the quality of the bright yellow preferred by Nelson on his ships, more on that below… (more…)

How wonderful is email?

A few days ago and there is a joke in here some where,  I received an email dated February 23, now why did that arrive so late?

The subject, an enquiry, was “H.M. Schooner “Pickle“, carrying the news of the Battle of Trafalgar ~PurchasePrint : yes ~ Message : On prestige cotton canvass~ Message entered from : H.M. Schooner “Pickle“, carrying the news of the Battle of Trafalgar.

You can see and read more of the extra ordinary research and story of  Pickle and this wonderful and renowned picture on web site page http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/urgent_dispatches.html. (more…)

Today, I have been looking at several subjects as the current group of paintings is almost complete.

I have the marine painting “Cattewater Plymouth, Australia bound emigrants prepare to board the clipper ship Samuel Plimsoll” 98% finished, here is a detail, I’ll show you this complete major painting on this blog any day now.

I have been looking for good photographs of HM Submarine Unique. I found a link that took me to the Submariners Association only the page was blank.

Or was it? I am reminded of the joke about the model of a stealth ship in a museum, it goes some what like this, “The models were wonderful, so detailed until I got to the Stealth ship, the case was empty… or was it?” (more…)

Great fun yesterday: the Forum Films having discovered me via this web site because of my renowned marine picture “I have urgent dispatches” and because of  my friend Ann Maddever (a decendant of the commander of HMS Pickle)  made a documentary series “The Boats that built Britain” series narrated by Tom Cunliffe which was broadcast prime time (20.30) last Saturday.

If you live in GB you can see the programme via the BBC web site on their Ipod and you can add a copy of “I have urgent dispatches” to your collection quickly and securely on page http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html.

The latter also gives you acces via “further reading” to much of the brief yet facinating history of the historic and famous schooner Pickle.

Unfortunately I only found out an hour before the happening via a very kind friend so have not seen it. (more…)

The Exhibition (Exposition) of paintings by the Art Therapist, my friend Andre Lafargue at Pau has been and gone.
I’d have gone except the invitation arrived late.
The invitation was curiously addressed. (more…)

I received a very special email from Peter Goodwin, keeper and curator of HMS Victory.

As many of of you have contributed to my work, I’d like to share it with you here along with my reply. (more…)

Trafalgar and Nelson
Trafalgar Dawn 2 has finally started to appear on the canvas!!!

A picture showing the progress will appear on this blog soon.
This new painting will make a pair to go with the now renowned “Trafalgar
dawn“, a view from among the crew onboard HMS Victory at 06.05, Monday the
21st of October 1805 and based on eye witness reports and research. (more…)

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?

The renowned painting, available in print from page http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/urgent_dispatches.html “I 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: (more…)

Trafalgar Dawn, the French Perspective.

Today, I have been working mostly on the remarque drawing which will as per the view of “Trafalgar Dawn” from HMS Victory (available as a signed print from page http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/trafalgar_dawn.html) appear in the margin with the ships on the horizon individually named in order; you do remember HMS Victory? (more…)