The Bessie Ellen
Over the last few years I have spent some wonderful weeks sailing the waters around Denmark and Sweden on board Bessie Ellen, a traditional West Country wooden sailing ketch built in 1904. She is one of the last surviving ships of her kind and has been lovingly restored by her owner, Nikki Alford.
I have also sailed to the Scilly Isles and Coast Magazine came along with and published a four page feature about my trip - click here to see the article.
These trips have been great sources of inspiration for my work and when weather and duties allow, provide plenty of opportunity for sketching and absorbing in the details of the ship; the rich patina of aged timber, the taut, twisted ropes, the huge expanse of the sails. I also have time to indulge my fascination with lighthouses and marker buoys, of which there are particularly fine examples off the Scandinavian coast.
Below are a few of the pages from my sketchbooks, which continue to be an inspiration and source for my work.
The ship is now based in the UK, the summer is spent mainly voyaging around Cornwall and west coast of Scotland and in the winter they head south to The Canaries and Azores . If you are interested in learning about Bessie Ellen, go to her facebook page or visit www.bessie-ellen.com.
More information can also be found by visiting www.classic-sailing.co.uk.
I have also sailed to the Scilly Isles and Coast Magazine came along with and published a four page feature about my trip - click here to see the article.
These trips have been great sources of inspiration for my work and when weather and duties allow, provide plenty of opportunity for sketching and absorbing in the details of the ship; the rich patina of aged timber, the taut, twisted ropes, the huge expanse of the sails. I also have time to indulge my fascination with lighthouses and marker buoys, of which there are particularly fine examples off the Scandinavian coast.
Below are a few of the pages from my sketchbooks, which continue to be an inspiration and source for my work.
The ship is now based in the UK, the summer is spent mainly voyaging around Cornwall and west coast of Scotland and in the winter they head south to The Canaries and Azores . If you are interested in learning about Bessie Ellen, go to her facebook page or visit www.bessie-ellen.com.
More information can also be found by visiting www.classic-sailing.co.uk.
The Bessie Ellen Sketchbook
Click on an image to view
