MARINE ARTISTS

the one we had at the shop was great for shaving off the end of fingers, never did it myself, but others weren't so fortunate

can't find an image of the type of machine, but the blades looked like this

yup, quite a tool, paper cutter combined with a samurai sword

When I lived in Annapolis I used to see the Skipjacks going down the Bay...what a graceful craft

They were so designed that they could be sailed by one person. I guess you know the requirements for the MD "undersail" rule for oystering? I always loved the little donkey engines that they ould use as pushers for when they would speed ferom one oyster bar to another.

I sailed on one over 10 years ago and was surprised at how agile they were. We were out there on a brisk March day and the wind was up and the waves were cresting over our deck, yet it was nice and dry below.

Oh Dj, I paid less than 50$ for the frame knife at the auction. I also bought an electric pottery qwheel for under 150$

Robert Taylor is a marine artist who likes to include "Warbirds" in his work and is a real student of weather patterns.
Heres one showing a wounded Lancaster Bomber being escorted home by a mosquito

I always thought of Taylor as an aviation artist, but I love this view of the Tirpitz

The Monitor vs The Merrimac. First Iron Clad vessels. I am reminded of this one because of the book that I read called Sahara by Clive Cussler.

Edw Grigware was a Naval artist attached to the detail in the Aleutians in WWII.Heres a deck scene in the grey daylight

This is one of a thousand or more marine paintings on display at the NAval Academy

gorgeous

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Heres a photo- litho done by George DAnielle in the 1930's. He was from Grand Manan in the Bay of Fundy, and was familiar with the activities of bay fishermen. His photography is reminiscent of Maggie Whites

Heres another Chris Blossom work. This one is probably one of the most technically accomplished pieces Ive seen. However, just because the atmospheric perspective and light and "rigging" is accurate, is it great? I dont think so. It is a nostalgic look at the San Francisco water front in the 1800's , so as a journal of sailing days, it good. As art, Im not so impressed.

One of my favorite marine artists is EWmile A Gruppe, the son of the Gruppe whose work I posted previously. EA was the founder of the Rockport artists and was quite a prolific painter o Gloucester, Downeast, and the Hills of Vt and New HAmpster.

His work is spare and more impressionistic so he has built a following and his works are climbing in value i the fine arts arena.

Farmerman,
A lovely painting. Gruppe is often on sale at the big Main Street gallery in Wiscasset, Maine. Out of my financial league, but I sure enjoy going to look and drool.

I knew George, and he was not from Bay of Fundy. He was from the Hudson River area, just N of Manhattan. Garrison? He studied painting at Yale (when this was easily done as an undergraduate), but became much better known for his photography. He pursued watercolor--and very well--until he died a few years ago in Trenton, Maine, age in early nineties.

Hey Miklos, glad to see youre sitting up and taking nourishment.

We would land on Grand MAnan several times a year and the little art gallery we visit has always claimed residency for Danielle as Grand Manan. Did he summer there? Its a pretty remote place and the fogs can just swallow you up. (Well, Im sure you know well enough down there in the "banana Belt" of Blue Hill).


There are two arists that weve been following recently. THey both are from the "downeast" area and IMHO are both quite accomplished. They are Cheri Walton and Bill Gaydosh. Walton is kind of seascape impressionist and Gydos is a more (in our eyes anyway) a "mannerist" of marine subjects. Are you familiar with these two?

Hi Farmerman

Chris Mayger was my Grandpa....sadly he died in 1993 but we, his family, are always so proud to read how much his work is still admired. I'm not sure if you would be interested to know but we are planning on setting up a website in his memory in the near future as it appears that he still has quite a following.

Kind Regards.

Chrissie

Im excited to hear fdrom you. When your website is set up ID love to visit.
Many of the "masters in marine painting" in which Mayger is certainly included are leaving us and the younger artists dont seem to imbue their work with the life and the feel of the sea like MAyger, Evers, Hunt and Blossom.

I hope you have some of his works so you can remember his skill.

Thanks farmerman, yes we have many paintings and sketches as well as non-marine work too. Because he was so well-known for his Alexander Kent covers and marine paintings, I never realised until after he died though what huge artistic talent he was in other genre also. Marine subjects were clearly his passion but his sketchbooks as a boy and his early career in advertising produced some lovely work also. Most of all though I treasure the little chicks and reindeers he hand painted onto the envelopes of my, and my siblings, Easter & Christmas cards when we children, and our letters from Santa...haha. We are learning so much more about him now that he's passed though, and I feel a bit sad really that my increased appreciation of his work has come too late and that my youngest son who seems to have been passed the artistic gene was never able to meet him. He was just my Grandpa who we all loved...haha,....sorry didnt mean to get soppy there!
That 'Santata' character was slightly aggressive huh!? I can't comment on sails and wind directions but I know that Grandpa painted a lot of his ships from blue prints and carefully calculated from them how the ship would sit in the water, and studied battles in great detail and care in order to produce an authentic scene, which weren't, in my mind, just representational but exciting and full of life.....I'll stop now though incase he comes back and starts preaching again....and of course I am quite biased on this one!! :0)

Setanta is a member who loves sailing ships and is a bit of a "purist" when it comes to art. He is quite a smart fellow and his style of communication can sometimes sound overly aggressive when all hes just trying todo is to make a point about which he is passionate.
Im not one who puts the marine artists in an order because every painting is different. (I have to admit that there are a couple opf WWII battle pictures done by your grandpa (the sinking of the Tirpitz being one) where certain details of the painting arent artistically correct (Perspective etc). However, the overall subject and communication is done masterfully so we forget about the mistakes in drafting.
I criticize the art first, the technical second.

My favorite marine Artist, Carl Evers, heightens the drama and tension in all his paintings and the emotion that hes able to convey makes him unique in my eyes.

Ive only ever seen two of Maygers landscapes and , like Emille Gruppe, he could paint up a good landscape with painterly strokes. I hope to see more of his non marine subject paintings .

WHen you guys roll out your granddads web site, Ill be one of the first gawkers, believe me.

Oh yeh, speaking about book illustration, do you have any of his submitted and rejected cover art ? I like to see how book and magazine publishers take proposal sketches and work with the artist to arrive at a final product. Ive seen a number of rejected Norman Rockwell POST covers where the publishers needed to have the subject re configured so they could fit banners and sidebars etc.

LAST thing, Didnt your granddad do covers for some of the FArley Mowatt books too?
ANY IDEA when youre gonna roll it out?