Maritime Art
To view these photos of my art work, just click on any picture and it will expand to fill your viewing window. Place the cursor anywhere on the image to make the historical information about the ship appear in a banner across the bottom of the image. Move the cursor off the image to make the text disappear.
All my paintings and drawings of sailing ships are achieved by scrupulous attention to details found in the builders’ plans of historic vessels that actually existed. Collectively these plans are called “lines drawings,” and from them I can visualize the exact shape and appearance of the hull of any ship and place it in the water correctly so as to be viewed from any angle. I complete my research by examining the existing sail plan of any ship and comparing that to contemporary artists’ depictions, photographs (when they exist), and published descriptions, as well as contemporary publications detailing the masting and rigging of sailing ships of every era. Most ships had minor to very major changes in appearance throughout their histories. I never copy directly an existing painting, drawing, or photograph of any ship. Rather, I consult all the available information as to the ship’s history and changes in appearance, and strive to render a “portrait” of the ship at some point in her years of service and attempt to capture something of her personality. Any authentic record of the sea and sea-faring never fails to mention the personalities that all ships had for those who sailed them. I have very few pieces of my maritime art left, as nearly everything I have done over the years was a commission or purchased soon after completion. The few photos I have of my art work were seldom taken under optimum conditions.