marine painting Archives - Gordon Frickers Marine Art

Entertain, Inspire, Inform

7 June 20207 June 2020 by Gordon Frickers

Robin Knox-Johnston, an inspiring sailor, a real man, a role model, a film worth watching? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdIIYr1GdIs&feature=emb_share.

I feel honoured to have been commissioned to make #paintings 3 times, “Roaring Forties“, “The Clipper Way” and “Dumra departing Bombay“.

I produced prints for the first two paintings made for Sir Robin #Knox–#Johnston which we both signed [a few copies are still available], and I am proud to be considered one of his friends.

“Roaring Forties” subsequently is and continues to be reproduced in journals world wide and is a proven influential painting.

Robin still is a considerable influence and benefit for many lives, mine included.

Some years ago Robin and I were discussing our roles in life.

When Britannia ruled the waves

30 August 201730 August 2017 by Gordon Frickers

Royal, revolutionary, glamorous, “The Royal Yacht Britannia“.

Prompted by a superb old black and white photo of ‘Valkyrie’ on Facebook, ‘Friends of Vintage, Classic & Traditional Boats’, I’ve updated my page “Royal Yacht Britannia (1893)”

“Britannia” won over 200 first prizes, still an unbeaten record, the first superyacht.

Preparing to paint “B I Sunday”.

7 January 20167 January 2016 by Gordon Frickers

A new marine painting in the making, a new sketch, B I S 9 C. Completed at 02.30 this morning, uggh… Inspiration is a fickle friend. The study gives a fair indication of how this layout will work.

At present the study lacks colour in more than one sense, colour which is critical to the composition.

However it is has correct proportions.

It’s Sunday so here we go for “B I Sunday”

29 November 201529 November 2015 by Gordon Frickers

Marine art is firmly back in my sights.

The worst of the ‘flying dust and debris’ caused by my move to ‘winter quarters’, disruption caused by returning to Plymouth to research for Mayflower 400 / 2020 has settled.

Here we go charting in more senses than one, the progress of my new, large, complex marine painting “B I Sunday“. The making of this painting is already quite an adventure which has included an invitation to a wedding in Mombasa on the 12 th of December.

‘B I Sunday‘ will show the port of Mombasa, Kenya on a unique day when every wharf was occupied by ships of the same company, the British India Steam Navigation Company.

Port of Kilindini, Mombassa, detail from a 1971 Admiralty chart

Yesterday morning having driven for the second time in a week to Roche Bernard to chase up ‘my’ plumber I retire to find inspiration, to express some ideas I have for “B I Sunday” in a cafe at Roche Bernard that I have adopted and where they seem to have adopted me.

I have been thinking of ways to do justice to “B I Sunday”.

A moving experience?

3 October 2010 by Gordon Frickers

Yesterday closed with a classic sunset, we have an invigorating ‘reefed topsail’ day here today, sunny warm and unusual in the tranquil Tarn, an East wind gusting force 8 and 9, wonderful light and an inspiring gale for marine painting!

The past few days post the Monaco Yacht Show have been focused on looking for another place to settle; I must go down to the sea again, the lonely sea and the sky…

Where to rent next, cote d’azur, Loire Atlanique, Bordeaux, Cornwall? all are possibilities and all have merits…

Yesrterday closed with an impressive sunset and to the East an impressively pink sky.

How to find some where to re settle, any suggestions?

Robin Knox-Johnston and a famous marine painting

22 September 2010 by Gordon Frickers

The famous marine painting “Roaring Forties” is a real piece of marine history, much reproduced by journals when writing about Robin Knox-Johnston and a very collectible limited edition and signed by the yachtsman Sir Robin Knox Johnston.

It was as you may be aware produced specially for and in close collaboration with Britain’s most illustrious yachtsman and master mariner, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

We had a brief, charming compliament recently re the beautiful Heritage quality marine print of “Roaring Forties”, one of those thing which helps make our work feel worth while.

Painting progress

31 August 2010 by Gordon Frickers

August closes, marine painting has resumed in earnest at last following the difficulties caused by having to leave Itzac suddenly due to faulty electrics.

Being a bit out of practice it seems there is more paint on me than on the canvases, a situation I’m hoping to reverse.

Work has recommenced on the new version of the renowned “Trafalgar dawn” (available quickly and securely using PayPal as a signed numbered edition from page

http://www.frickers.co.uk/prints.html), an update written below.

Also on the easel in the past few days, HM Submarine Unique and “Emigration, Plymouth Cattewater and the Samuel Plimsol” ~ here is a brief progress report.

So how was Plymouth?

20 June 2010 by Gordon Frickers

My visit to Plymouth, looking back as I try to catch up on work at Itzac, went quite well including some good PR; the bad news was getting up early to be with Gordon Sparks on BBC Radio Devon the good news, Gordon Sparks Sparkie is great fun to be interviewed by,

There will also be a a piece in the Plymouth Evening Herald ~ (circulation about 250,000) by Tristan Nicholls of whom some including David Folley say “the best journalist on the Herald” about the new large marine painting Plymouth Cattewater and the invitation to exhibit next year at the European Parliament in Brussels.

The photo here is a different view of the the Cattewater, River Plym, Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club from which I used to sail in former family days and looks towards the east shore and my former home at Plymstock.

Besides visiting familiar places and there is more to tell!

Last Monday I crossed the English Channel and now I need a new studio…

19 June 2010 by Gordon Frickers

I sailed on 19,500 tons of Brittany Ferries new “Amourique” then stayed my first night near Redon.

I have the keys to a friends house where I often help out while passing through, then eventually found my way back to Itzac in the Tarn, Midi Pyrenees.

I have been mostly cleaning my house since. How do so many spiders and so much dust get in a closed house ~ and 3 frogs in the bathroom?

The picture of my cottage was taken last year before the house warming but balloons apart the place has not changed much for 50 years and was in 1825 the village forge.

Yesterday re started painting, a large landscape painting and a marine painting, a new “Trafalgar Dawn”.

Read moreLast Monday I crossed the English Channel and now I need a new studio…

On the move

7 June 2010 by Gordon Frickers

Left Falmouth this morning and drove via Truro and Bodmin to Plymouth.

Good and bad news, in Plymouth I was able to access my emails but learnt my No 2 computer is no more, it has computed its last err, probable cause voltage fluctuations while in France. It seems the solution, a regulator, will cost some £200.00

Slightly better, I was able to collect the French landscapes I’d left with Adrian for some gallery directors to view.