COMMISSIONS
Your yacht, painted the way her crew remembers her
A yacht is rarely just a boat. She may stand for a race won, a long passage, a family's summers or years of ownership. A commissioned painting keeps that story in a form that is personal and permanent.
I work from your photographs and your account of the boat, the place or the occasion. Fifty-five years of offshore racing mean I know when a sail is drawing, when she is overpressed and how the sea looks at the moment that mattered.
A race win or a season to remember
A long passage or a favourite anchorage
A retirement, birthday or anniversary
A family boat and years of summers
A record of a yacht before she is sold
How a commission works
1. Tell me about her
Send your photographs and the story: the race, the passage, the place, the people aboard.
2. Agree the composition
Size, viewpoint, sea and sky, and the details that must be right. A 50% deposit secures your place.
3. Watch it develop
Progress photographs from the easel as the painting comes together. Most commissions take six to eight weeks from agreed composition to delivery.
4. Approve and receive
You approve the finished painting and pay the balance. It is then carefully packed and delivered.
Sizes and prices
Oil or acrylic on canvas, signed and ready to hang or frame. Every price is fixed once the composition is agreed. Commissions from £850.
40 x 50cm oil or acrylic on canvas
£850
50 x 60cm oil or acrylic on canvas
£1,200
60 x 80cm oil or acrylic on canvas
£1,650
100 x 75cm oil or acrylic on canvas
£2,400
Framed for where she will hang
The right frame depends on the room as much as the painting. Tell me where she will hang and I will suggest a frame that suits both.
Modern home
A shadow gap frame in oak, white or black. The canvas sits inside a slim wooden surround with a fine gap around the edge and no glass, so the painting appears to float against a plain wall.
Traditional home
A moulded wooden frame, or a classic frame with a linen slip that gives the painting a quiet border, in keeping with period rooms and older furniture.
Office or boardroom
A plain, solid frame in dark wood or black, scaled so the painting reads from across the room.
Club, hotel or public space
A substantial frame built for size and handling, with secure fixings, and an engraved plate if the painting marks a race, a trophy or a presentation.
Frames are made to suit each painting. If you have a framer you trust, the painting can be delivered unframed.
Give a commission
A gift certificate lets you give the painting while the owner chooses the boat, the moment and the size. It can cover the deposit on a chosen size, or a set amount towards any commission. Ask about one through the form below.
Questions owners ask
How long does a commission take?
Six to eight weeks from agreed composition to delivery. Larger paintings can take longer.
What if my photographs are not very good?
Most owners only have snapshots. I combine several, and knowing how a boat behaves at sea fills in what a photograph misses.
How does payment work?
A 50% deposit secures your place once the composition is agreed. The balance is due when you approve the finished painting.
Can I see it before it is finished?
Yes. You agree the composition before I start, and progress photographs follow from the easel.
Can I give a commission as a present?
Yes. A gift certificate covers the deposit or a set amount, and the owner chooses the rest.
A COMMISSION CAN MARK
Tell me about your yacht
Leave your details and I will reply personally. Prefer to talk? Call 07788 662697.