Gordon Frickers' Blog » Mayflower

Plymouth Cattewater, finished at last

Gordon Frickers — Wed, 12 May 2010 11:59:05 +0000

This new marine painting measuring 30″x48″ (762×1219mm) has absorbed some 200 hours including location visits and research by myself and friends in Plymouth.

The scene is based principally on my numerous memories of Plymouth Cattewater by moonlight and shows the “crack” clipper ship Samuel Plimsoll during the 1880’s, loading emigrants Australia Bound. Colour and tone bars are placed here in the picture margin so you can adjust your monitor/screen if you wish to better view this new marine painting

This painting is intended as one of the center pieces for the exhibition next year offered me at the European Parliament; ~ unless some one makes me an offer I can’t refuse!

I also hope this formidable marine painting will inspire Plymouth City Council to make better use of the site in the same sort of way the splendid “Port of Chester 1863″ inspired Chester council, a splendid story documented on page http://frickers.co.uk/marine-art/chester.html which included a civic reception for the painting and artist.

You can pre order a copy of this painting, quickly, safely and securely for as little as £150.00 using page

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

There was a time when Plymouth was the preferred venue for emigration from Britain and only London and Liverpool saw more emigrants leave.

The facilities (the buildings on the right) at Plymouth were the best in the country by far, some thing Plymouth can always be proud of.

This historic site has been semi derelict and very neglected since the two large buildings were demolished in the 1930’s and is now up for re development.

The building nearest still stands and is the home of the Mayflower Sailing Club.

Cattewater? because this was a secure anchourage.

In former times ships would load in Sutton Pool and from adjacent beaches and coves which we now call Plymouth.

Then the ships would anchour and await favourable tide and wind.

When departing the anchour was raised and to re secure the anchour a type of derrick known as a Catte was used.

Plymouth as many people world wide are aware was a point of departure for numerous emigrations probably the most famous being the settlement at by the Elizabethans inspired by Sir Walter Raleigh

Prior to the site being used as an emigration depot it’s history includes use by the British Royal Navy as a victualing quay up to about 1840 before the construction of the victualling yards on the River Tamar at Stonehouse.

The Roanoke Colony settlers, the first English colony in the New World, sailed from Plymouth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Colony) as splendidly documented in the book Elizabeth Big Chief The historic site of the Roanoke Colony is off of U.S. Highway 64 on the north end of Roanoke Island, North Carolina

The infinitely more famous Pilgrim Fathers emigrated from Plymouth in the Mayflower, boarding Mayflower from about where Gordon Frickers has composed this painting .

Thousand more people emigrated from Plymouth following those adventurers and famous voyages too numerous to cover here started from Plymouth Cattewater, to name drop a few, Francis Drake, first captain to circumnavigate the world, the Elizabethan fleet to combat the Spanish armada, James Cook navigator and discoverer.

We know the ancient Phoenicians were here trading for tin, they used the beach opposite under Mount Battern and probably the beach where Phoenix Wharf quay and the emigration depot were eventually built.

All would have departed from this same stretch of water, Plymouth Cattewater.

You can pre order a copy of this painting, quickly, safely and securely for as little as £150.00 using page

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

Of course the history of this splendid port goes back way before the 1880’s as shown here and it is to be hoped Plymouth City Council will develope the site sensitively for our future.

When I have more time I’ll add here credits, principal sources and some of the story of the Clipper ship Samuel Plimsoll, watch this space!

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 !

Gallerie Marin, Appledore, will reopen – Audrey Hinks told me this week.

Gordon Frickers — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:29:57 +0000

Gallerie Marin (Market St, Appledore, N. Devon) reopening is great news for Audrey’s clients and artists including me, Gordon Frickers.
In my view Audrey Hinks is a great “people person”, one of the very, very few gallery owners who acts with total integrity with her clients and her artists.

I first met Audrey and Alan some 20 years ago when they visited my studio in Plymouth.

Having heard Gordon Frickers marine paintings were increasingly selling to distinguished clients and companies, Audrey and Alan visited to meet the artist, see the marine painting.
The result of their visit surprised us all and still amuses me.

Audrey was completely “blown away” by my French landscapes. She would talk of nothing else.
Audrey said she already had plenty of marine painters, would like to try some thing different and here was some thing very different, very unique with often surprising, some times stunning colour combinations.
She said she thought the French landscapes very exciting, she could feel the heat of France and smell the scenes, she adored the colours and the spontaneous way they were painted.

Given the difficulties created by my special colour vision, at the time this surprised me. These paintings were all created as colour experiments to help me understand my “difficulty”.
However others have subsequently come to a similar conclusion; one day these landscapes will be very valuable.

They show a rare quality, an artist searching, purposefully exploring colour relationships, quite probably proving to be most collectible paintings to enjoy and as investments, being the most original and impossible to “copy” as a painting style.

Clever talent spotting Audrey!

Over the years Audrey and Alan have remained very enthusiastic supporters of my “French landscapes” promoting and selling more of them than all the other galleries put together.

I had only recently heard why Gallerie Marin had closed.
Audrey had lost her life long husband and partner Alan about a month ago. Naturally I phoned Audrey to offer my condolences. Audrey was clearly very distressed, glad I’d called.
To hear she wants more of my paintings and will re open the gallery was not what I was expecting!

Unsurprisingly the gallery business was neglected during Alan’s illness and hence finally closed.

The Alan Hinks I knew was a quiet, patient, good humoured man who always bought his round.
I admired the way he supported Audrey’s endeavour with her gallery, always there for her.
Alan Hinks was comfortable and self confident enough to let Audrey have “centre stage”, a role Audrey has filled with skill, enthusiasm and honesty for many years.

Alan Hinks came from a long line of Appledore (N. Devon) ship builders, generation on generation of people who built fine quality ships which in turn in their small way helped build our modern world.
The name Hinks almost means “ship builder” in Appledore and Barnstable. Alan was much involved in the fortunes of the modern yard Appledore Shipbuilders, several historic replicas (Mayflower, Golden Hind etc) joining the struggle to keep a ship building industry in Appledore.
As if Audrey had not got enough to cope with loosing her life partner, one of her beautiful and charming daughters is going through a divorce.
Remarkably Audrey finds the energy to try to help her too!

Given her problems, the courage of this 83 year old lady is I hope you agree inspirational.

Now, Audrey tells me the gallery will re open in the spring of 2009.
Audrey Hinks says she misses her clients and artists, her life is too dull without us!

Do we say good luck Audrey Hinks?