Saturday 16 April 2011

John Gardner, marine artist

St Peter, the ship of Vitus Bering

Last May John Gardner, one of Scotland's finest marine artists and a great and loyal friend to many, sadly passed away unexpectedly. Peter and I first met him in August 1974 just before the start of a yacht race in Oban Bay. We were foolishly taking part in West Highland Week in my small open Loch Long and, knowing that we had no cooking facilities, John's Unity sailed up alongside and passed across a hearty plate of sausages and beans. We became two of many who were to enjoy his friendship and benign influence over the years.

You can read the nice obituary that appeared in the press, here:- Herald Obituary

As a little tribute to John I am reproducing a selection of images from his Ships of Discovery series from 1988.

Fram, designed by Colin Archer, the ship of Nansen, Sverdrup and Amundsen

Santa Maria, the ship of Christopher Columbus
S Gabriel, Vasco da Gama's flagship
Robert Peary's Roosevelt
Captain James Cook's Endeavour
Pourqois-pas?, the ship of Jean Baptiste Charcot

1 comment:

  1. I was given an original from him for my wedding in 2002 , wonderful gift

    ReplyDelete

The Wherrymen

The Wherrymen
Two old friends on the water