“Master Mariners”, the development of a painting

The original marine painting measures 50 x 81 cm (20″ x 32″), oils, commissioned by J Leeson & Son.
“The maritime world never believed that we could encounter 27 + waves at sea until they measured one on a North Sea Oil platform. Now it is recognised but I wonder how many ships went down because the Naval architects did not believe the seamen and take such waves into account when designing our vessels” ~ Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.
This fine painting is newly available in an exclusive limited edition of 12 copies, museum quality, signed and numbered to represent a fine art investment, a ‘steal’ from £147 including packing and registered post.
The print has in it’s margin a remarque showing her last commander, Captain Barney Leeson about who Sir Robin wrote “Barney Leeson, John’s father, was a lovely man, efficient and effective but always helpful to younger officers like myself. I saw him at a BI re-union not long before he died and was glad I did. I would have happily served under him had the occasion arisen”.

This is the British India Steam Navigation Company Limited ( better known as B I or BISNC) C class merchant cargo liner M. V. Chupra (named after a village in India) encountering encountering heavy seas of the sort found off Cape Town where powerful warm and cold ocean currents collide.
My original thought was a new variant of my painting of the ex Liberty Ship “Trun” including a heavy sea and less threatening sky.
That said, like my famous, memorable “Roaring Forties”, painted for Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, available as a signed numbered print (from £147.00),
Marking Out:

This page gives you an impression of the history of a developing painting and background about the Motor Vessel Chupra.
This concept sketch, ‘Decision Time’… one of a series of 11 was chosen as the basis of our new painting.

Graphite drawing, measuring some 13 x 18 cms (5 1/8” x 7”), available, £130 in P & P.
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The merchant cargo liner, “Chupra“, encountering 30.48 m (100 foot) waves off the Cape of Good Hope where two powerful currents collide, one cold from the Antarctic the other warm from the Indian ocean.
One of a series of 11 studies exploring how we might meet my client’s brief for a painting of his Father’s last command.
This is the British India Steam Navigation Company Limited ( known as B I or BISNC) merchant cargo liner M. V. Chupra (named after a village in India) encountering encountering heavy seas.
We had in mind the sort of colliding waves 30.48 m (100 foot) sometimes encountered off the Cape of Good Hope
My original thought was a new variant of my painting of the ex Liberty Ship “Trun” including a heavy sea and less threatening sky.
That said, like my famous, memorable “Roaring Forties”, painted for Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, available as a signed numbered print (from £147.00), “Chupra” is intended to give us an impression of what sailors can and do face at sea. Conditions most landlubbers find hard to believe but we know happens.
The evidence is incontrovertible.
The concept sketches shown here have in discussion with my client J. Leeson & son, lead to a larger drawing, a combination of 1. and 6.
In this case a merchant cargo liner, “Chupra” is shown encountering 30.48 m (100 foot) waves off the cape of Good Hope were two powerful currents collide sometimes creating ‘sea cliffs’, one current cold from the Antarctic the other warm from the Indian ocean.

My original thought was a new variant of “Trun” including a heavy sea and less threatening sky.

That said, like my famous, memorable “Roaring Forties”, painted for Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, available as a signed numbered print (from £147.00) “Chupra 7” shows something most landlubbers find hard to believe but we know happens.
These days, relevant videos can be found on Utube, one on Russian convoys, the heavy weather scenes is appropriate, others include spectacular French films, our French colleagues are rather good at this sort of thing.
Most spectacular, superbly filmed, lash yourselves down and marvel: “ tempête sur la bretagne“, Tempête en Bretagne”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUYfYRcBNrY
and see also,
“Tempête Joachim – Bretagne”, “FREGATE FRANÇAISE : EN PLEINE TEMPETE ” Force 11 ” Échelle de Beaufort”, “D 646 Latouche Treville”,
“(7) La Terre en colère – Tempète en mer”.
If looking for ideas and inspiration, there are many more videos that landsmen find unbelievable.
Re watching the videos gave me ideas for another variant of “Chupra drawing 7” , read on, enjoy…

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Graphite drawing, measuring some 42 x 61 cms (16.5” x 23”), available, £150.
A developing painting.
“Chupra 7”, a proposal by drawing, my client did ask for a dramatic painting !
Sea Cliffs, the exist, rig your safety lines, hook on and read on.
#Seacliffs, the evidence is incontrovertible.

Graphite drawing, measuring some 31 x 40 cms (12” x 16”), available, £150.
A development of ‘7’, in discussion with my client we decided to try the same sort of study with a less extreme sea, the picture certainly makes a fine drawing of a typical post World War 2 merchantman in a heavy sea, in this case circa 1970.

Graphite drawing, measuring some 31 x 40 cms (12” x 16”), available, £150 the pair or £100 each.
Exploring different angles, different ways to express the ideas and feelings we wish to convey.

A very ambitious, difficult graphite drawing, a solid 8 hours work plus the thought that went into preparing this highly unusual concept, measuring some 31 x 40 cms (12” x 16”), available, £200.
Ariel perspective paintings of ships are unusual, in a big sea more so.
This would undoubtedly make a very memorable painting.
The only draw back is this study is considerable more work than the original idea discussed and priced with my client.
I never try to persuade people to spend more than they are comfortable with.
One of the pleasures of my exacting career is sometime clients become friends and in any case we are in a business of making friends.
Consequently, although I was willing to ‘go the extra distance’ and did so, this idea ’11’ did not fit the brief on grounds of budget.
A pity, it would make an amazing, memorable painting, maybe another client another time, maybe not, chance, the idea hangs here suspended, not taken to it’s dramatic conclusion, a golden opportunity available for another client.
To acquire or commission a similar painting
T: + 44 (0)1865 52 2435 Mobile 00 33 (0) 6 10 66 19 26
or Skype ‘gordonfrickers’
Email: artistfrickers at gmail.com



For sure the sea will receive more attention and of course Chupra needs to be more ship shape, sharpened up and many small details sorted out.

As Paul Cezanne pointed out, and I am literally of ‘his school’, any change in colour affects the whole painting.

It seems to me to be a busy, engaging painting for such a deceptively simple composition.

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Gordon Frickers © 23.06.2017 updated 26,07,2017, 29.07.2017, 06.08.2017, 31.08.2017, 20.09.17, 09.12.2017
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