Friday, January 6, 2012

The Masters in Marine Art

 
That sailed into my Life!

I grew up in the city of Pittsburgh, Pa.

Far away from the blue horizon of the ocean.
Far away from tall ships and sailboats.
Far away from stories of the sea.
Far away from regular visits to the beach.
Far away from sand in my shoes.
Far away from the smell of sea breezes.

Though the allure of the ocean
and all of it's romance and glory
was never far away from my heart.
  
The romance of the sea
was celebrated and decorated
select walls, mantels and table tops,
in the house where I grew up. 

The Masters in Marine Art
that graced the walls, mantels and table tops,
of my childhood home,
and had their hand in
helping to launch
my artistic endeavours 
were as follows.
. . . . . . .

Alexander Dzigurski (1911-1995) 
'California Coast'
. . .

An original oil painting
by Alexander Dzigurski,
a Yugoslavian artist
graced the mantel our the dining room.
. . . . . . . .

‘Jack’ John Charles Robert Spurling (1873-1933)
'Titania'
. . .
A set of six coasters with small prints
by J. Spurling graced the dining room table.
. . . . . . .

Montague Dawson (1895-1973)
'The Thermapylae Leaving Foochow'
. . .
 A beautiful print by Montague Dawson
graced the mantel of the front parlour.
. . . . . . .

And last, but not least,

John Stobart (1929-)
'Decks Awash'
. . .
A few prints by John Stobart
were peppered around the house.

. . . . . . .

These four celebrated
Masters in Marine Art,
all had their own influence on
the direction of my own art
both subtly and greatly.

I feel lucky and honoured
to have had the chance
to study, learn and draw from
with these four
Masters in Marine Art.  

To this very day
 I still revere their
individual talents
and the impact
they have had on me,
even as a female marine artist.


2 comments:

Allisunny S. said...

Ah, sweet memories....I can hear your dad's laughter and smell the fireplace .... xoxoxox

Seip Fine Art said...

Hey Sunny! I am so thankful my parents, though my Dad mainly had the interest in marine art, albeit historical, still nonetheless encouraged me to follow my heart and become a marine artist.