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.

You may recall, “Trafalgar dawn” was painted some years ago as part of a
series commissioned for HMS Victory,
http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/trafalgar_dawn.html ?

That series includes the now equally well known “I have urgent dispatches”
http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/urgent_dispatches.html

Both are available as prestige quality signed limited editions.

The new painting is as yet is unsold unless someone makes Gordon Frickers an offer he
can’t refuse!

This new marine painting is intended to go next year for exhibition
following invitations to exhibit at the European Parliament (the first
marine artist ever invited) and in the City of Plymouth where much research
was carried out.

It is also being suggested “Trafalgar dawn, the French perspective“  is
shown at the Musee Maritime, Paris, also a venue of research, but as I am
not yet know there only time will tell!

This new original painting, 12″ x 48″  shows a scene onboard the French
flagship “Bucentaure” at about 06.20 on Monday the 21st of October 1805
because the French reported they sighted the British fleet  slightly later than
06.05 a.m.

We have not yet decided the final title of this new marine painting.

It took  ages to sort out the British fleet.

Much of the information was conflicting, new research was able to resolve
most of the issues.

Dozens of hours of research, reading, drawing diagrams and cross checking
was required aa well as additional visits principally to “Victory” and the
Musee Maritime..

There were quite a few surprises too including the Official report of the
Admiralty Committee of 1913 got several ships in the wrong place for 06.00.

They failed to notice the British were very roughly in 4 columns at dawn and wrongly placed several ships.
Thus some of the ships logs are wrong? What a bunch of navigators?

Not that they will worry about that, still it would have been a fun debate!

The moment when Gordon Frickers finally had the British fleet marked out as accurately as
possible and stood back was quite moving.

He realised he was the first person to see the sight since those who actually
witnessed the view.

~

The painting of “Nelson boarding Minerve at Gibraltar” is finished except for
some tidying up and the running rigging on Minerve.

This painting fits well our original brief, re the lesser know but
significant parts of Nelson’s career and as a bonus shows 2 of the ships in
which Nelson served.

This story was the prelude to Nelson becoming seriously famous.

This story of which this painting represents is likely surprise people when
they know the story which reads a bit like a “Boys Own” adventure.

Following diligent research, Gordon Frickers found  this part of the Nelson story is barely
mentioned and not at all in many of the books about Nelson.

In essentials, Nelson, then a commodore, was ordered by Admiral John Jervis to supervise
the British withdrawal from the Med which Nelson described to his wife as an
important but not dangerous service.

The frigate Minerve, within days of leaving Gibraltar, in company with another frigate Blanche,
was in a fierce night action against 2 Spanish frigates.

The story goes the ships paired off, when hailed by Minerve her opponent replied, this is a
Spanish frigate and you may begin when you wish!

The Spanish ship was gallantly defended during a fierce half hour action which left the victorious Minerve but quite damaged.

The Spanish commander turned out to be a direct descendant of bonnie Prince Charlie.

Nelson was very impressed by both the defence and the blod line so most irregularly, returned the vanquished Spaniards sword.

The next day the 2 prizes had to be abandoned to escape a superior Spanish
force which almost caught the 2 damaged British frigates.

The British frigates lost their prizes.

Abandoned  prize crews included one Lt Thomas Masterman Hardy.

Nelson completed the rest of his mission during and immediately after which
he showed some of his finest personal qualities.

On returning to Gibraltar he learned a large force of Spanish ships of the
line had just past Gibraltar sailing West.

He pursued; in turn pursued by 2 large Spanish war ships one of which almost
caught Minerve.

Through out this episode in Nelson’s story, an episode not even mentioned in  many ‘Nelson’ books, Horatio Nelson demonstrated many of the fascinating qualities which lead to his eternal fame.

An example being while pusued by the 2 Spaniards, both much stronger ships than the frigate Minerve, a man fell over board.

Upon hearing the dread cry “man over board”, Lt Thomas Hardy gallantly rushed up from below and jumped into the little ‘jolly’ boat which went to look for the lost sailor.

The poor fellow was not found, worse, when the jolly boat tried to pull back to Minerve it was soon apparent the jolly boat was dropping further astern.

Despite the oncoming Spaniard, Nelson exclaimed “by God I’ll not loose Hardy” and ordered the mizzen topsail of Minerve backed to slow her down.

The Spaniard, suspecting a trap, also slowed to allow her consort to catch up.

The jolly boat and her people were recovered, little wonder the men loved Nelson, Minerve escaped.

One of Nelson’s dictum’s was “often the boldest course is the best“.

Not sure if the Spanish fleet were going to head North or West Nelson  was
prepared contrary to orders to abandon his post and sail West to warn the
British in the Caribbean or North to join John Jervis’ fleet on watch off Cadiz.

As luck would have it Minerve sailed right into the middle of the Spanish fleet – in thick fog.

Skillfully extracting herself, the following day Minerve found the British Fleet, Nelson reported to Jervis then rejoined HMS Captain (also shown in this painting).

Very soon after there followed the battle now known to the British as “The battle of Cape St Vincent” during which Nelson disobeyed orders and created “Nelson’s patent  bridge for boarding first rates”; but that is another story and maybe another painting…

The next marine painting Gordon Frickers will be preparing will be a scene from the voyage of the French explorer Laperouse showing the day he met with ‘The first fleet‘ at Botany Bay and that painting to be followed by a new version of the ubiquitous HM schooner Pickle.

This is only a brief account of an adventure in the story of Horatio Nelson.
The full account is even more remarkable.

Gordon has agreed to write more about these two historic paintings soon, discussing the details of the paintings, outlining the finer points of his research, much of it previously unpublished , giving us greater insights into a facinating period of naval history.

If you think I can help you in any other way, don’t hesitate to ask.

Email with your phone number and I’ll give you a call.

Gordon Frickers artiste – Peintre 81170 Itzac ~ yep that was it; nothing else and yet the letter (or should I say lettre?) arrived all be it eventually.

Andre Lafargue’s letter reminded my of some thing I read very recently about Horatio Nelson while researching Nelson’s time in the frigate Minerve, I was reading in a book by the noted poet Robert Southey (born 1774).
Robert Southey was also a reliable and versatile writer, including his “The life of Nelson”, first published in 1813.

The story goes, in the days before Horatio Nelson was world famous and not yet an Admiral, he established a formidable reputation at least in Italy, while a captain serving around Italy.
Southey wrote of Nelson, (page 92 in my copy) “A letter came to him directed “Horatio Nelson, Genoa:” and the writer when asked how he could direct it so vaguely, replied, “Sir, there is but one Horatio Nelson in the world”.

We know my art work is much undervalued so has huge investment potential, but a comparison with the rising star of Nelson? To much flattery!

~

Many of the books on Nelson either don’t mention his time on Minerve (some times wrongly refered to as La Minerve) or barely mention it.
And yet the Minerve voyage was a curtain raiser, Minerve lead directly to Nelson’s becoming a famous celebrity in Britain, a knighthood and appointment as Rear Admiral.
I was researching for an article I shall write soon for this blog and my web site about Horatio Nelson, how Nelson’s character is revealed when he sailed on the frigate Minerve, while in the Mediterranean under orders to evacuate British bases.

My new Minerve marine painting shows Nelson at Gibraltar, 10th December 1776 when he transferred from HMS Captain so a bargain!

You have 2 Nelson ships for the price of one!

Minerve as a marine painting has been created from a sketch I drew many years ago one evening over a beer at the Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club where for many happy days my family and I were members.
At the suggestion of my friend Chris Boddington it has been adapted for this new work of art.
Adapting has been some what more complicated than I first expected.
Besides extensive re reading and consulting my mate Peter Goodwin on some aspects, I even visited by special arrangement, Her Majesty’s Hydrographic Office at Taunton (see this blog, November 2009) to see period charts and maps of Gibraltar bay.

I also found loads of faults and omissions (mostly very forgivable) in other artist’s paintings and am some what on my metal because I will have to show an unusual amount of rigging with most mind boggling accuracy, well at least it boggled my mind!

The Minerve painting is a continuation of my series, Nelson, Trafalgar, the less known but interesting aspects, originally commenced as a special commission to help raise funds for HMS Victory’s restoration to her Trafalgar condition ready for 2005.
In those days I had the unique honour of carrying a letter of introduction from the then commander of HMS Victory.
Wow did that open doors and archives, fascinating!

Some times research takes a much unexpected turn.
In the case of this painting, several including with regard to the colour of the yellow strip on Nelson’s ships.
My painting of Minerve may be, thanks especially to the research of Peter Goodwin, who you may know as curator of HMS Victory and author of may authoritive, factual  marine books,  the first ever to have the yellow exactly to Nelson’s ordered recipe / formula.
Peter Goodwin found a letter from Nelson specifying the mix and asked me to make some tests which I did, posting the results and notes to Peter.
One of the results is probably 98% of the paintings of Nelson’s ships have the wrong colour including my earlier efforts!
Don’t believe me? Compare for yourself!

That alone makes this new marine painting rather special does it not?

I intend showing this new marine art featuring Minerve and Captain to several galleries for their guidance and retaining it as one of the centre pieces of my forthcoming exhibition next year by invitation of the European Parliament.

Unless some one (again – I recently ‘lost’ Talybius this way…) makes me an offer I can’t refuse!

This is the renowned marine painting, reproduced in several learned books and considered by some leading experts the definitive marine painting of HMS Pickle, a painting from which even the prints have created a history with copies going to among others, Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, The Royal Naval Air Service and the New York Yacht Club!

I have urgent dispatches is still available as a prestige limited edition.

Signed by the artist and at very affordable prices, as are many of the other prints in the Gordon Frickers growing selection.

I’m just starting to re optimize my web site, a job that is overdue and very likely to increase sales however only The Schooner Vagrant is currently at risk of being sold out.
You can check these prints out on page http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html, also place your order securely and easily online from this page

~

Other Nelson news is the attached picture of Nelson at Gibraltar, while still a long way from finished as you can see from the following pop up pics, Nelson at Gibraltar is beginning to be detailed so completion is probably only about 20 hours away ~ but it has to compete with the Samuel Plimsoll for my attention!

As usual with my significant historical paintings there are some neat touches appearing.

For example when you read about this period some odd ship names keep coming up in the Mediterranean like Tartan and Xebec so thanks to my very rare copy of Serres great book guide to marine painters we have a Tartan and a Xebec in this painting.

Can you spot the Tartan and the Xebec?

Part of my intention is to recreate the business of Gibratar and it’s bay at that period hence the inclusion of the Tartan and Xebec.

Who knows which is which and what they were?

Of course the rigging of Minerve is barely started and the rigging on most of the other ships are incomplete however there is now enough detail to begin to guess how this marine painting will turn out particularly if you have had a long look at some of the pop up details on www.frickers.co.uk in the marine gallery.

Nelson is beginning to be identifiable, the uniforms of the Marine guard I think are correct (you know some thing I don’t? If so please speak up!) as are many other clothing details and away in the middle distance we can now see crew at work on the 74 gun ship of the line HMS Captain.

I hope by now if you are unfamiliar with my marine art you will have realised I carry out more than average research?

I consult some rather special sources and have even sailed on a square rigger which was 10 years older than the Cutty Sark!

For sure, Nelson at Gibraltar direct from me, it won’t cost the lucky purchaser anywhere near the asking price of the original of I have urgent dispatches!

Maybe that makes it a great bargain?
It’s what often happens to my paintings, I have to watch them re sold for far more than I got, ahh well, ce la vie and good luck to all the owners of my “children”.

Nelson at Gibraltar is not pre sold.

I am happy for who ever purchases, I aim to give excellent value to every clinet, my clients in turn have enabled me to have an amazing 30 years painting and I’ve learnt the ultimate compliment is I think, “I’ll buy it”!
~
I am also working on a second version of Trafalgar Dawn, this time the French view at 06.05 but it is not sufficiently advanced to  show just yet.
I have though started the drawing. So what you yawn? Give me a break mate, this has taken 7 years to research that is a detective story in it’s self!
This is going to be a famous painting, make no mistake about that.
The French I discovered refer to Trafalgar as “the catastrophe of Trafalgar“.
That said, most of their people as is not generally known in Britain, fought very bravely as did many of the Spaniards.
The French have always had a great maritime tradition as alive today as ever.
~
Thus, I was recently asked by the president of the Laperouse Society to make enquiries in England about the possibility of working with other museums dedicated to great navigators and explorers with a view to jointly raising European funding.
There are numerous historical replicas built and building in France, maybe we could involve the French in one of our Pickle nights?
~
I still love boat building.
I was super fit in my boat building and dinghy racing days, sadly I am going soft here in the Tarn ~ I must go down to the sea again…
I am being asked to helm a Wayfarer at the World Championship this year and am worrying that I’m not fit enough to cope.
I stopped sailing dinghies (mostly Laser) 4 years ago…
I wouldn’t mind a dinghy for day cruising and to keep fitter but my days of winning at national and International level are history.
A winter capsize from a Laser at Plymouth taught me that!

I’ll be in England end of May and most of June, after a brief stay in S Brittany (Loire Atlantic).
The general quality of life here in France is wonderful, the French work hard and know how to party and play, seem to like me and lots of people say “why would you ever want to go back?“

The new marine painting “Racing Yachts” featuring Swan Nautor type yachts is almost complete.

Based on my experiences producing the Yachting World Prize for previous Swan European Regattas the new painting will be offered for a modest £1,000.00

The Gordon Frickers Yachting World prize caused quite a stire and was much admired by the competitors.

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

One recipient was kind enough to say (and allow me to quote him) “I have won a few prizes in my racing career but I can assure you this will be one I treasure most“, M.J. Leadbetter.

More about Mike Leadbetter’s marine painting on page ~ http://www.frickers.co.uk/marine-art/k_6888.html

Anyone know the name of Mike Ledbetter’s yacht, I have mislaid my record of her?

(UK) 01865 522435 (International: +44 1865 522435)

I made good progress today on the Gibraltar and the small Cattewater marine paintings, both are historical port scenes.

The Gibraltar painting now has most of Minerve’s crew painted Horatio Nelson is now recognisable (just!) and the beginnings of the back ground details.

The Cattewater, Plymouth (small version) today had the final paint applied to the sky and further work completed on the sea hills and buildings.

Further work was also carried out on the hull of the large sailing ship lying off Phoenix Wharf, the ship will become the famous clipper “Samuel Plimsoll“  which in turn was named for and launched by the very remarkable Mr. Samuel Plimsoll.

Both these new marine paintings, shown in earlier blogs this year will re appear ion this blog soon in almost finished mode.

It will be interesting to see if the follow Talthybius and sell in less than a month, see blog entries 07.02.10 and 03.03.10 ~ anyone taking bets?

On the subject of which here is in the best Blue Peter tradition, one I made earlier, a pic of a Swan painting I finished last year and which I intend to sell ~

Make me an offer I can’t refuse and it is yours?

You can pay for any unsold picture on the web site securely online using PayPal on page

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

enjoy!