A fine spirited painting.

An interesting message via Linkedin “Gordon, I now own the old Corum Saphir. Believe you painted her in 91?” I replied: “Chris, congratulations, a fine yacht, fast too. Yes Chris, you are correct. I saw her perform in the Admiral’s Cup and Fastnet, sketched and photographed Corum Saphir then painted her. The original was bought … Read more

Home from the Ocean

Meaning The Atlantic Ocean and a few other places. I have been out and about for the past few days, my hand off the helm. I’ve been helping French kids in Tarbes with their English exams, visiting the Pyrenees, visiting the fabulous CÔTE LANDES (Capbreton & Hossegor ) and having a few other adventures..   Call … Read more

The (marine) detective story continues…

“B I Sunday”: A brief ‘heads up’, an insight into the process.
The finished picture, still a long way off, will show the port full of B I ships.
Not the same, more B I ships but rather as I did with “Dumra leaving Bombay, rising SW Monsoon” painted at the command of and for Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

Robin Knox-Johnston collecting his painting of Dwaka
Robin Knox-Johnston collecting his painting of Dumra

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From Mombasa

My best fun so far today, the day has only just got under way, was to have Mr. Abddul Rahim Abubaker of Mombasa, Kenya connect with me via Facebook. My new friend Abdul has been very enthusiastically helping me with “B I Sunday” research. When the task is complete i will have a surprise for … Read more

A return to Africa

I wondered if this  subject would interest you or people you know as I begin some research around the theme of “B I Sunday”? I’m delighted to say B I has surfaced again in my world, as in the British India Steam Navigation Company, at one time the largest merchant fleet in the world, this time as a request for a painting about the size of “Roaring Forties“, to commemorate B I Sunday at Mombassa. One of my early ‘merchant ship’ paintings, “Uganda at Falmouth“,  was a B I ship returned from the Falklands war. Little did i know at that time what how that ship would affect my life… Among other things it helped create a life long friendship with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and took me to the Netherlands and Outer Hebrides, the Western Isles but those are other yarns for another time, maybe. 

Uganda at Falmouth
Uganda at Falmouth

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