My historic research boat was damaged in an accident almost a year ago and I have been supporting and working with the professional shipwrights to rebuild her, ever since. I have been at the shipyard almost every day, when I am not at home in the studio painting, to bring in money to repair her!. It has been a hard slog and she is still a ways away from being finished, but we are getting there.

I have missed having her to do research for my Fraser River, BC and local paintings, but I have received requests from patrons and friends for commissions and they luckily have been supplying research material for me to capture their ship. It will be great to get back out on the water regularly to refresh my feel of the sea. Every time I am on a boat I photograph or sketch and so have valuable material in my library for reference. Catching the magnificent clouds and skies, but especially the waves and how they act when a boat passes is what I miss most.

I have had reviews that state ” you can tell the season and the time of day from John’s skies and seas – he captures the feel so well”

Currently I have a commission on the easel for a dear friend whose grandfather was a barge captain in Sweden – this vessel carried coal and wood on canals to the Baltic and so it is very interesting to paint. Having just returned from the UK where we spent a few days on a “narrow boat” (we call them canal boats in Canada) with friends Lyn and Tom Lewis who own “Moonstone”, it has given me a much better feel – especially when we went through the locks! See picture of Moonstone and Lyn and Tom following – I’m there too – helping get Moonstone through a lock. I am planning to create some paintings from the trip – I was really inspired by the light and relaxed atmosphere of canal cruising.

Tom is a well known composer, singer and history buff who sings, writes and compiles old sea shanties! So you can understand why we are friends with these lovely people!