MARITIME ART
My other passion in life is the history of the development of sailing ship design, in hull form and rigging, for different purposes and trades, from frigates to revenue cutters, whalers to general cargo carriers, and of course the glorious greyhounds of the sea, the majestic clipper ships. This passion is given expression in the creation of "portraits" of sailing ships that I produce from reseach in my personal maritime library.
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 as 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.
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