I’m so grateful to be nominated for this! Wow!
So I started off as a deckhand in the industry back in 2013, and was lucky enough to get a job onboard M/Y Blade, in Cap D’Ail. I was there for one season and was absolutely loving life. I had dreams of progressing to captain one day.
However I got some news about my mum back home, who had become very poorly, and my father was struggling to cope on his own. So I took the agonising decision to quit and return home to help care for her. This was to be the end of my short career in Yachting.
Before yachting I had previously studied as an illustrator, gaining a degree in Design; illustration at the University of Plymouth in 2009.
I hadn’t drawn anything for a good few years, but 5 years ago I was inspired to start painting again after one of the local fishermen in my home town, had his new 10m Trawler delivered.
To cut a very long story short, he bought the painting off me for £200 and told me to share it on Facebook page “fishing news”
Within 2 days I had 5 orders to paint people’s fishing boats from all over the UK.
After 4 years I decided that I really ought to start painting Superyachts, but how to get a commission to do one? So I contacted an old friend of mine who was still in the industry, as asked her permission to paint the yacht she worked on, for free, but so I could have a Superyacht on my portfolio of work.
Sure enough after I shared that painting of M/Y St David online, I got more and more interest and people sharing my work.
I soon started up my Instagram page @theyachtartist and got some merchandise made and started to promote myself within the industry.
Just 12 months on, I have a great following on my page and lots of interest and commissions from all sizes of yacht.
I was very lucky to receive a commission from a crew member onboard M/Y Eclipse, to paint her onto a chart of Cannes Bay.
This received huge interest and some lovely comments.
I’m striving to produce more artworks of these beautiful yachts. I currently have an XL size painting of the iconic M/Y Nord onto a chart of the Northern Atlantic.
I’m sure that I’m not the usually candidate for such an award, but I’m very honoured that people have thought enough for my work, to feel like they should nominate me for this amazing award!
