Racehorse, H M Sloop, Arctic Expedition, homeward bound, 1777, through fierce September gales.
My HMS Racehorse painting has been on loan at Portsmouth.
Nelson & Trafalgar
Word of Mouth?
“Word of Mouth“, a Nelson and Trafalgar painting well worth the price and more as an “after dinner” subject.
The Royal Navy’s most famous schooner HMS Pickle, described by Nelson as “ubiquitous”, is according to Cornish oral tradition sailing into legend.
Leadership?
What is Leadership?
There are to many books and videos on this subject, many misleading.
Most of those about Nelson fail despite frequent references to his leadership, to explain why Nelson was a great leader and how his character was moulded.
This painting, one of my ‘Nelson and Trafalgar’ series has never been pubilcly exhibited, a great opportunity for someone.
Bright Yellow
Trafalgar day, 21st October and Nelson’s bright yellow.
A technical note that may interest some painters and model makers, “yellow”.
The yellow of Nelson’s fleet was 6 parts white, 3 parts yellow ochre so although described at the time, as a bright yellow, was actually a creamy yellow.
Nelson chose the colour saying he “thought it more warlike”.
His captains copied him.
My source, a letter from Nelson to the Malta dockyard discovered by the legendary “Keeper and Curator of HMS Victory “, the now living legend and author of 17 + books, Mr. Peter Goodwin.
Hunt the Pickle
Should we have a > spot HMS Pickle < competition, she is there, ubiquitous as ever she was?
Under the radar ~ Mal Nicholson requested I show my “HMS Pickle’ paintings on his HMS Pickle Official site on Facebook; so here today are another two …
I present “Trafalgar Dawn” : as seen and described by eye witnesses, from HMS Victory at 06.05, Monday, 21st October 1805.
The fine art print has in the margin a drawing of the scene and better still, every ship individually named.
The original is long since sold.
To make a pair, I painted and have in print the opposite view as described from the French flag ship. That too included the elusive HMS Pickle France view so to speak.
Original available £18,000
Victory almost sunk
1922, HMS VICTORY was this week, having been rammed afloat, hastily moved into No 2 Dock, Portsmouth to be preserved for the nation. My ‘Nelson & Trafalgar Collection’ was commissioned to help raise funds for Victory and R N Museum Portsmouth. The collection still remains never publicly exhibited, most of the paintings available. … Read more
This Morning
This little schooner had survived, only just, 2 heavy gales in the Bay of Biscay, the date was the fourth of November 1805.
She conveyed on board the most momentous news of that decade as she arrived at Falmouth, England.
Her unlikely name now immortalised in history was HMS Pickle.This painting measures 48 x 61 cm (19″ x 24″), available, price upon application.
Blue, Red ensigns
An interesting question raised on Facebook The sailing frigates, ship sloops and war brigs 1620-1870 Edward Zimmerman.
“What was the significance between Red and Blue?”
Flags are a complex subject with a long history.
To fly an incorrect flag, one you are not entitled to, is still punishable by law. Both flags he mentions, red and blue, have a long history.
In Nelson’s day Blue was used together with red, white and yellow to indicate the zone a ship thus the admiral in command, operated.
Many a would be marine artist has shown a wrong flag !
Disaster !
“The sea is all wrong, it should be flat calm” said Peter Goodwin to me by phone having just returned from the Arctic circle.
Actually, the painting, is absolutely ‘spot on’.
The moment portrayed : “HM Sloop Racehorse, North Sea storm, Arctic expedition 1773″.
Subtitle “Put Preventer Gammoning upon the Bowsprit’, Friday 17 September“.
Taken from the ship’s log book and journals and guided by the very authoritative Mr. Goodwin, this painting is accurate down to the tiller ropes on the poop deck and the fish davit blocks. The latter is a detail often missed by artists and model makers.
A wordy start
This year in my studio has started with a bit of good luck.
The 1805 Club of North America branch asked me to write an article on how “I Have Urgent Dispatches” came to be created.
This is the first time since we started all those years ago inspired by the late and much missed Nick Varley, that one of the most influential ‘Nelson’ society’s has asked to show this example from my ‘Nelson and Trafalgar Collection’.