Art – The Onshore Years
In the early 2000’s I went on to Project Management roles, and whilst I still went to sea much time was spent in project offices onshore.
So, I put my hand to drawing again. I wanted to try new mediums, charcoal, pastel, crayon, watercolours.
I signed up for an art course and whilst I had a lot of fun I didn’t actually learn a lot, our instructor pretty much let us do art however we wished.
A few tips and pointers here and there but that was about all.
Pencil Portrait – My wife Cheryl
Portrait from a photo taken in a restaurant in Venice, where at high tide your feet get wet and the staff all wear gumboots.
Old Dutch Sailing Barge – Charcoal
While working in Delft, Holland, the office was barren as far as art went and I got tired of staring at a blank wall in front of me. I suggested some art on the wall but nothing happened, so I drew this in charcoal, got it framed and hung it up. It is one of the Dutch Barges which are common in The Netherlands, under full sail in strong winds and a confused sea. (A0 size – img7932)
Old Dutch Sailing Master – Charcoal
When I had looked at the sailing barge long enough I decided on a change so drew an old Dutch Sailing Master (yes, he had lost a couple of fingers) and swapped the pictures on the wall. (A0 size – img7930)
Pons Fabricus Bridge in Rome – Watercolour
The oldest bridge still standing in Rome. Built in 62 BC. I went down, off the path to the stone wall to get a low angle for this painting. An image from our Italian holiday. (A3 size – img7979)
Roman Ruins – Pencil sketch.
On a trip to Rome, this is the view from the Coliseum. (A3 size – img7991)
Dover Cliffs – Watercolour
The view from the famous Dover Castle on the southwest coast of England. On a good day France is visible across the English Channel. It was low water and conveniently a yacht came into view heading west. (A3 size – img7998)
Dertwent Water – Watercolour
In the Lake District, Northwest England, we stopped on a blustery day in Keswick. I was standing out on one of the small boat jetties to get the photo I drew from The gusts were so strong it was hard to keep my balance on the very narrow jetty. The clouds above formed an unusual shape and the sun was eagerly trying to break through from the southeast. Made for a good photo which I made into a painting. (A0 size – img7939)
Yellow Rose – Pastel on black
Just a picture for no particular reason. Just wanted to try using pastels on black paper. (A2 size – img7949)
My Art Bag – Pencil sketch
This was a nice leather bag I brought in Florence, Italy as an art bag. The small leather bound pad was a gift from my daughter. (A3 size – img7982)
Watercolour – Raglan NZ
Raglan, New Zealand. There are some rocks near Manu Bay, Raglan, against which the waves break quite nicely. The rocks are dark basaltic and made a nice contrast to the sea and the plants struggling to grow. It’s a popular surfing beach. (Watercolour – A3 size – img7997)
My Russian tutor – Pencil portrait
This young lady was my Russian tutor. She also played guitar and sang in a group we formed called ‘Justtt Us’. (A0 size – img7973)
The Greek earth – Oil crayon
This was just an image I had in my head, sort of a combination of the horn of plenty, a Greek statue and the transition of day and night. The statue is pouring out the earth from the amphora in one hand while controlling night and day with the other. (A0 size – img7962)
Victory Russia – Oil Crayon – 2007
During my time in Russia there was a WWII war memorial I rather liked. It was a bronze statue of a Russian soldier grimly facing the battle with determination and a sailor behind him who had just been shot. I tried to put them as bronze soldiers, into the battle facing the flames of war with the lightness of peace following them. The words to the left and right are: “Courage defeats the clouds of war and victory is won with sacrifice.” “Храбрость рассеет тучи войны, и победа достанется жертвами.” (Oil Crayon – A0 size – img7954)