Commissioning Art From Andrea
Thank you to Mary-Anne Unrau of Traversay III for writing this wonderful testimonial about her experience commissioning art from me! Mary-Anne and her husband Larry are accomplished sailors whose adventures have included cruising Patagonia and the Northwest Passage.
12” x 9” watercolour of Traversay III sailing the Northwest Passage
“I met remarkable artist and fellow sailor Andrea England when our boats (Traversay III and Island Prism) shared dockspace in the paradisiac island of Oahu, Hawaii. We had much in common. We shared the loves and challenges of both teaching Primary school and in cultivating our artistic talents … mine as a performer of keyboard music and hers as a multi-media artist. At some point, I attended one of Andrea’s Gallery expositions and looked through Andrea’s sketchbook. I’d seen some of her larger water colours, which I thought were tremendous, and anyone would learn much from her loving attention to every anatomic detail of sea-life and birds which … while scientifically accurate … still bring an artistic flourish to subjects which are often pictured in such a dry and dull manner.
I decided that as a Christmas present Traversay III needed some additional art works and that they should be a ‘lasting memorial’ to some of our greatest times on Traversay III over our 25 years of worldwide sailing. When we can no longer sail, these beautiful framed works on our walls will carry our memories of the great experiences. One picture shows Traversay sailing the Northwest Passage and the other shows the boat anchored in the middle of mountainous Patagonian Chile.
Andrea was commissioned to do the work. They would be our Christmas gift. Every Christmas we serve dinner for eight people. Once all the guests were ‘in’ and seated the Island Prisms joined us for the dinner and Christmas carols to bring over the pictures.
Watercolour of Traversay III anchored in Patagonia
Andrea’s works were a huge success. We took pictures during the dinner because I hoped to call on one of the other talents Andrea had displayed in her sketchbook. This was a most attractive ‘homely’ scene of Island Prisms’ interior with pots and pans and clutter – all within an artistic perspective. We later asked Andrea if she would be able to make an Archival painting of our boat interior complete with the guests, the tree, the ornaments, my piano, and the guests singing Christmas carols. It was impossible to get this combination in a photo but Andrea shows us a view from the galley with BOTH the interior and guests but also looking forward across the bow towards the Christmas star on our foredeck and the lights of the Empress Hotel.
Only a superb and gifted artist could achieve this. I am grateful to have three such vivid representations of our lives sailing the world aboard our boat.”
Mary Anne Unrau, Traversay III
Footnote from Andrea- I’m going to sneak in my own little review here as Mary Anne is a writer! You can read about her adventures sailing the Northwest Passage, Patagonia and Antarctica in her inspirational book ‘Around The World With Traversay III’, available on Amazon. This isn’t an affiliate link and isn’t a kickback for her wonderful review of my art- I just think she’s a great writer and wonderful, adventurous human!