Merlin Rocket Archives - Salcombe Art

18 March 2019 In Art

Merlin paintings – in preview sale on 5 April

In the preview sale on 5 April, Merlin on the Run and Merlins Racing past Fishermen are two of the latest crop of paintings which will be offered at a discount price to those attending this celebration of the start of another season of art.

142 Walking back to Hope Cove
144 Merlin on the Run
145 Schooner Sunset
146 Merlins Racing past Fishermans
147 Summer in Salcombe
148 All Aboard the East Portlemouth Ferry

Merlin on the Run

Merlin on the Run is the featured image above.

The Merlin Rocket Association has a long and ongoing relationship with the Salcombe Yacht Club. Sailors too, often have a close ‘relationship’ with Merlins and their crew.

Merlins Racing Past Fishermans

When I’m on the water, if I look over my shoulder to see Merlin’s bow wave, powered up with a mighty full spinnaker, I know it’s time to move out of their way. The right of way rule is immaterial …

Merlins Racing Past Fishermans

I could not have painted the drama of Merlins Racing Past Fishermans without my photos for reference. Everything happens so fast out on the water.

I raced in Fireballs in my twenties and thirties. These also had spinnakers and were equally unstable when a strong puff of wind visited the estuary.

Merlin Rocket Week

Each year, the Merlin sailors and their families and friends descend on the town for a week of racing.

In 2019, this event is called Salcombe Gin Merlin Rocket Week 2019 in recognition of the sponsors: Salcombe Gin.

Salcombe Gin

The Salcombe Gin Company can be found at The Boathouse, 28 Island Street, Salcombe TQ8 8DP. On-site, there is a distillery, shop, and bar, and they offer courses too at the Gin School. You can make your own gin …

Back to art!

Merlin paintings

I love painting these beautiful crafts and now have five images featuring them.

123 Merlins is sold already but the image is available as a fine art greetings card, and – both as a square image and a rectangular image – for the affordable art items too.

Come to the Preview evening: 6-9pm on Friday 5 April

If you would like an invitation to the Preview evening, please contact me.

You will be made very welcome at Beacon House Gallery.

6 August 2018 In Art

SOLD! Ebb Tide at Batson Creek

It’s a delight to support local good causes and charities.

As a member of Salcombe Yacht Club, this year, during Merlin Rocket week, Anne and I spent nine days in The Chart Room at the yacht club, welcoming the Merlin sailors and their families, and exhibiting my original works, limited edition prints, and fine art greetings cards.

The weather was too hot for me to paint, but I enjoyed watching the sailing, photographing the Merlins and talking with lots of art lovers, while Anne ‘manned the shop’.

SOLD! Ebb Tide at Batson Creek

Ebb Tide at Batson Creek As well as over 100 cards, I sold a painting, which swelled the donation to the Salcombe Yacht Club.

While I am happy when any painting sells, I’m especially so when I meet the purchaser and know it’s going to a good home.

A purchaser is a local person, someone I will see often, and I’m sure he’ll enjoy his purchase.

My paintings grace many a wall in Salcombe, and elsewhere.

See if you can spot one of my originals next time you go visiting?

Which cards were the most popoular?

I had painted two more Merlin compositions especially for Merlin Rocket week, and used them for new card designs, bringing the number of cards featuring Merlins to three: Merlins, Merlins Crossing the Bar, and Watching the Merlins Race.

Merlin cards for sale of Ebb Tide at Batson Creek

All three sold well, but they were pipped by two other designs: Salcombe Estuary Trots and Dappled Light I, a watercolour which is now sold but very much like the still-available oil painting Dappled Light III.

Salcombe Estuary Trots

Local artist, supporting local causes

This year so far, I’ve made donations to The Friends of the Redfern and Salcombe Yacht Club. If you would like me to support your good cause, contact me.

Anne and I are happy to attend events and we have specific cards being sold through charities, such as Salcombe Regatta and Hope Cove Lifeboat.

18 April 2016 In Art

Sketchbook Notes: Merlins

The classic Merlin Rocket carries a two-man (or lady!) crew and has enjoyed a long relationship with Salcombe Yacht Club and the challenging waters of Salcombe Estuary.

I have never helmed, or crewed, this high-performance dinghy. The Merlin sailors love a stiff breeze and to launch their brightly coloured spinnakers when the wind angle permits. They appear to ‘charge’ along, rather than passively sail.

Comparing my source photograph with the finished painting, you’ll maybe notice a number of changes I made to the composition. Merlins

I positioned the shoreline midway, losing much of the foreground water, and brought the choppy water into sharper focus. I also smudged the detail on the beach, so that the sails were given greater emphasis. Last but not least, I added a touch of red, with a buoy, positioned bottom right.

I had great fun with this painting, trying to capture the movement of the Merlins across the estuary and the excitement of their race. And yes, I love to photo the Merlin sailors’ antics; if I blink, I’m sure to miss a dramatic capsize!

The next opportunity to see this fleet – over 100 competitors – in full sail is during Merlin Rocket Week, 10-15 July 2016.

Where can you see this painting?

Merlins is on display at Salcombe Art Club in the Main Exhibition, along with four more of my paintings: Hope Cove, Scoble Point Moorings, South Pool Sunrise and Splosh of Frogmore.

The Exhibition is open every day from 11am until 5pm, until 24 September.

I will be at the Exhibition, stewarding, on these dates: 19 April (2-5pm), 10 May (11am-5pm), 24 May (2-5pm), 14 June (2-5pm), 12 July (2-5pm), 9 August (2-5pm), and 20 September (11am-2pm).

If you are in Salcombe this summer, why not drop in?

The Sketchbook Notes series

This is one of the Sketchbook Notes, a series of posts explaining what inspired me to produce a particular painting.

If you own one of my paintings, or are just curious about an image, let me know; I’ll then write a blog post especially for you!