MARINE ARTIST
John Horton is the person you’d be really glad to see if your boat was taking on water off the coast of British Columbia. He skippers the 52-foot Delta Lifeboat, a volunteer leading volunteers ready to come to the rescue of sailors in need….
Read the full story at: https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2020/08/18/John-Horton-Painter-Saves-Lives/
On August 4, 2020 David Martin, freelance videographer on contract to Knowledge Network, visited my studio to film an interview that will be broadcast later in 2020.
The interview emphasized the importance of Knowledge in our TV viewing. And in the interview I also encourage others to financially support Knowledge and become Partners. The funding supports the fabulous learning and entertainment programmes that we enjoy on Knowledge.
Please support the Knowledge Network and watch, listen and learn about the world around us.
In 2017 we moved our vessel, the Steveston Lifeboat, to Ladner, a small riverside community in the City of Delta. Under an agreement between the City of Delta and the Canadian Lifeboat Institute (for whom we do search and rescue) the vessel was given a berth in Ladner Harbour so that it could provide search and rescue capability in the waters that surround Delta.
With an all volunteer crew trained in all aspects of SAR, and renamed the “Delta Lifeboat” she now provides support and assistance to the Coast Guard, fishermen, commercial shipping, recreational boaters and even floating homes in the area. I painted the attached image as my donation for the fundraising Christmas cards that year. It shows the Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft “Siyay” escorting the Fraser Lifeboat and the now Delta Lifeboat up the Fraser River for the dedication ceremony in Delta.
Saturday April 23rd is the date for a MASSIVE marine garage sale in Victoria. Mary and I will be there to support the Maritime Museum by having a table to sell affordable prints, limited edition prints and books. The majority of income from the small prints will go to support the museum and it’s efforts to remain a vibrant maritime museum!! 9am to 1pm at Pier A warehouse building at Ogden Point (the cruise ship terminal on Dallas Road) Please come and buy – and visit with us. small entry fee applies.
IF YOU CANNOT COME – PLEASE support the Museum by visiting their new location at 634 Humboldt Street – beside the Union Club – across the street from the Empress Hotel! The Museum now has a lovely gift shop and the SAME PRINTS ARE ON SALE THERE, SAME PRICES, AND SAME BIG BENEFIT TO THE MUSEUM!
If we do not support our maritime museums the very important history about our province and country will be lost.
SEE THE ATTACHED LINK FOR THE STORY IN THE NAVY’S “LOOKOUT” NEWSLETTER.
http://www.lookoutnewspaper.com/water-colours-grabs-garage-sale/
I have been working at the Shelter Island Marina in Richmond, BC, Canada for over a year since my boat was in an accident in December 2014. The Steveston Lifeboat (previously known as the Artists Life) was on a training accident for the Canadian Lifeboat Institute (CLI) when it ran aground. Fortunately only one person was slightly injured and we all got off safely.
The boat was taken to Shelter Island Marina and work was started immediately. She is an historic wooden boat (see my previous story in “News” dated October 22, 2013) and so it was going to be a big effort to get her back to her original state. Fortunately the engine was not damaged and that was a huge savings.
Many companies in the yard have assisted with her repair and given us special rates. We are very thankful for this as since we volunteer the boat into lifeboat service and she is not owned by the CLI they technically cannot assist us financially with the rebuild.
So – I have been working hard painting commissions and new paintings to sell as that is the only way we can get her repaired. This painting of Shelter Island Marina was inspired by the beautiful boats and great people who work here. This story about the painting is now going in the news file (not in Original Art for sale) as I have just sold the painting to the owner of the Marina.
I will have reproductions available for sale.
What a successful evening for our community of Delta, BC, Canada. Over 300 of us gathered on November 7th at the newly completed Tsawwassen Spring Golf Clubhouse to raise funds for the Delta Hospital Foundation. To quote the foundation, “Through tonight’s proceeds we hope to raise the final funds needed to complete the biggest expansion project in Delta Hospital history – the redevelopment of the backbone of our hospital, Diagnostic Services.”
And the attendees did it, and we helped! We made a contribution of an original Venice oil painting for the silent auction and saw it raise a good amount towards the project.
Costumes and whimsical headdresses caught our eye from the minute we walked in the door as the theme was “Whimsical Wonderland”.
We are lucky to live in such a beautiful, friendly, supportive community.
Please support the sponsors and auction donors – see names in the images following.
Take two minutes to read this story of a ship with a secret life – it is now going to the scrap yard.
A British expedition led by Captain Sir John Franklin departed England in 1845 to explore and chart the last unnavigated part of the North West Passage and was last seen in Victoria Strait. In 1848 the Admiralty launched a search for the two ships but nothing was found. Later searches found only graves and artifacts left by Franklin’s men.
In 2014 HMS Erebus was finally found by a team made up of people from Parks Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard and other groups. Prime Minister Steven Harper was very pleased to make the announcement to the world.
I just completed this painting and it is now available to be viewed. Please contact us for location as we will be displaying it soon in a new public exhibition at the Petley Jones Gallery.
It was with very great pleasure that I accepted an invitation to give my Captain Vancouver talk on the 17th and 18th January to the Maple Bay Yacht Club and the Ladysmith Maritime Society.
On the 17th we were guests of the Maple Bay Yacht Club, (just outside Duncan, BC) and were given a warm welcome by approximately 60 members and friends. Mary and I enjoyed an excellent dinner with the club members in their dining area and then moved to the lounge area to present my talk to a very attentive audience. The talk was well received and gave rise to some excellent questions. It is always interesting to receive questions from mariners who have cruised the area which Captain Vancouver charted.
Thanks to Donna Wakefield for making all the arrangements and promoting the talk so well.
The following day we were welcomed at the very new Ladysmith Maritime Society Welcome Centre which is on a float and located in the centre of their marina. If you have not visited them recently you must – the marina welcomes visitors needing guest moorage, and the welcome centre is a great place to meet the locals and refresh yourself. They also have a small floating exhibition building; a number of restored vessels in float houses and a larger exhibition just up the hill.
We had an exceptionally lively crowd of approximately 93 people at the presentation and they enjoyed the stories about Captain Vancouver’s voyage to our coast in the late 1700s. We presented the Society with a number of Captain Vancouver booklets to display at the exhibition sites and in the welcome area. The welcome building has 2 supports that were taken from a broken and discarded HMCS Oriole mast – so we donated an HMCS Oriole print to be displayed in the building. Our very hospitable hosts in return presented us with an honourary membership and vests.
Just prior to the presentation we had a brief tour of the 2 exhibition sites and the boat house. We were very surprised to see a small rescued skiff from the historic HMCS Rainbow. The skiff is in the yard in the process of being restored, along with some other very interesting wooden vessels. The society has a huge number of volunteers. Well done – Bravo Zulu!!
We also toured the Ladysmith Arts Centre which is located up the hill beside the Maritime Society exhibition space. This is a very active group and has a great exhibition and work space donated by the municipality.
Well done Ladysmith for supporting both of these worthwhile nonprofit volunteer organizations which work hard to bring visitors to, and enhance the cultural environment of the area.
Thanks to Sherry Bezanson for making the arrangements for us to visit and Debbie Cameron, Paul Notte and Tom Irwin for making our visit so pleasant.
This is a small painting that was inspired by a special commission I had painted for my friend and great yacht designer, Ron Holland. He had always been intrigued by the tea clippers that raced to England in the 1800’s and this one depicts two clippers racing through the trade winds on their way to England. Many, many days after their start in China they would sometimes arrive in London on the same tide. A great era of sail.
This painting is now at the Petley Jones Gallery in an exhibition of small works especially commissioned for the last minute Christmas purchase. Go in and see it, please.
