Inspiration .. Mauretania - and the Storms of life ... work in progress

The Mauretania - work in progress

The inspiration for my latest stamp collage came when we visited Amble in Northumberland last year on Mauretania day!











 Every year in July  the people of "the friendliest port" remember  this beautiful ship when she sailed  by the town on her last voyage before being broken up. (see poster on right ).

While there I attended Cafe Church where I was welcomed in with tea and cake and some lovely chat with locals and other holiday makers.
The informal service was held under a gazebo and we  shared stories on a travel theme, and sang this hymn, "Will your anchor hold in the storms of Life?"   I hadn't heard it before, but now it seems a very good message!
 

Primary research methods - visit a pub!

I must admit to being extremely disappointed when I arrived at the Mauretania pub in Bristol recently on a mission to get in the mood for embarking on my new project of making a stamp collage version of the Mauretania, originally launched in 1907.  I had located this source of great interest after discovering the story of this beautiful ocean liner, after visiting Amble, Northumberland , "the Friendliest port in England".  See blog post dated for the story so far 6th September.


I had read that the Mauretania building in Bristol's Park Street contains fixtures and fittings salvaged when the liner was broken up in 1936, and had hoped we could go to the pub, have a drink and possibly lunch, and admire the beauty of the mirror veneer panelling, and chandeliers , but instead I was confronted with locked doors, pulled down shutters, and a general feeling of neglect, and no clue as to the demise of the business.Only the illuminated sign "MAURETANIA" which is still lit up at night  remains as an indication of the story of what lies within.
 We spent the rest of the morning visiting a couple of exhibitions before heading back down the hill for lunch but determination lead me to ring one of the bells for other businesses which now inhabit the upstairs .. my call was answered and I asked if  I could possibly speak to someone.  Door catch released, and I proceeded up a dark stairway, emerging to find two helpful ladies, who said they dealt with the Mauretania building, now empty and in need of a new occupant to bring it back to life.

I was introduced to a gentleman who was very knowledgeable about the ship and who proudly showed me the clock from the vessel, and pointed out some of the mirrors and other fittings in his office space, as well as an old framed photo of the Mauretania.

 I was then invited to go downstairs to the former nightclub, Java, which also contains some of the once beautiful polished wood panelling and decoration from the ship as well as a ceiling dome minus its glass, and currently sporting a garish glitter ball! 

It's a large space, and times are hard. The nightclub closed after a few years. It would be lovely to see it back in use, and hopefully retaining the historic features. I felt very privileged to have seen just a glimpse of what the Mauretania would have been like in her heyday. The book Mauretaina, Triumph and Resurrection by Peter Newall gives even more information about other buildings and museums which hold more relics from the liner, including Pinewood Studios!

Mauretania Day in Amble, the Friendliest port in England

Celebrated in Amble, Northumberland every year around 3rd July is Mauritania Day. It gets its name from the famous Cunard liner the RMS Mauritania.   The ship passed Amble on that day in 1935  heading to Rosyth to be broken up,and  received the message from the Amble "Amble to Mauretania, Greetings from Amble last port in England, to still the finest ship on the seas."  The reply came back. Mauretania to Urban Council, Amble, to the last and kindliest port in England, greetings and thanks, Mauretania".  Kindliest has over the years become "friendliest", and having visited recently I totally agree!

Built in Newcastle's Swan Hunter shipyard in 1907 for Cunard, she carried wealthy passengers on ocean cruises, and gained the Blue Ribband for being the fastest vessel to cross the Atlantic, maintaining this record for 22 years until it was superceded by the Bremmen. She had 9 decks, carrying passengers in  1st, 2nd and 3rd class.  The first class areas were very sumptious and lined with shiny mahogony and decked out with chandeliers.
On Mauritania Day, which this year took place on the 7th July,  we were able to witness the pride of the town in being named, "the kindliest (now friendliest) port in England" with a programme of entertainment throughout the day including Brass bands, choirs, Belly dancers, the weekly  market, and a very welcoming  street Cafe Church service with tea and cake.

Inspired by the ship's story, on return home I began my research, with a view to making a collage of this beautiful old vessel. Unsure at the moment quite how or where  to portray her, as photos of old postcards and ancient photographs show her with varying paint colours including a very jazzy paint effect during the war.







Always  after a ship to collage, the Mauritania certainly fits the bill, and to my delight I find  I have two stamps  depicting her.  Back in pre-decimal 1969, and in my own collection is   a set of Ships designed by renowned stamp designer, David Gentleman., including the 1/- Mauritania.

  In 2004 a series of  stamps depicting ocean liners was issued  including a 47p  RMS Mauritania stamp from a painting by Thomas Henry

Researching  online, I dicover  that not far from home. is a pub in Bristol  called The Mauritania which is fitted out with some of the original wood panelling and other decorative items  from the ship, so that was my next destination ...   More to follow ...

The Grayhound - latest stamp collage original

Just completed this stamp collage inspired by the beautiful ship, The Grayhound, which visited the docks in Gloucester this year, and is now at sea.  I've used stamps, envelopes, and also created the rigging from thread, with some painting  too.  Prints in various sizes and cards will be available shortly. Please let me know if you are interested.

Although I boarded some of the other ships, unfortunately this time I was just a little too late to go on  The Grayhound, and watched her sail away down the River Severn on a working voyage with regular crew and some passengers.
She goes to many interesting destinations including the Portugal, Madeira, the  Azores, France, Spain and Ireland, collecting cargo en route, and also taking passengers.

The Grayhound is a Lugger built between 2010-12 and is a 5/6 replica of the original  18th century vessel. built in Cornwall.

You can read all about her on website
www.grayhoundluggersailing.co.uk

Renaming a ship .. "The Blue Lady" could be renamed " La Semeuse Bleue"

La Semeuse - Stamp Collage by Rachel Markwick 

A few years ago I made a stamp collage ship using the iconic French stamp called "La Semeuse" or in English, "The Sower".  I used them to make the sails and my original vessel duly sailed off to a new home in Bologna, Italy.  Limited edition Prints are also available! 

  Subsequently, with a dearth of Blue "La Semeuse" stamps in my stock, a new ship emerged and was named "The Blue Lady". 

The Blue Lady - Stamp Collage by Rachel Markwick 

 She also found a new home in West Virginia, USA.  I have prints available, a framed version of which is currently on show in the National Waterways Museum, in Gloucester Docks.  She still goes by the name of The Blue Lady, but new owners of ships often rename them, so who knows, perhaps she could become "La Semeuse Bleue".


See more ships on my website
www.rachelmarkwick.co.uk

Unframed Prints available

Voyages of Discovery, my exhibition of Stamp Collages at the National Waterways Museum continues on until September, and there has already  been a lot of interest in the ships which are the subjects of most of the pictures.on show.

Staff and visitors at the exhibition in the National Waterways Museum May 2019

  You can read the ships' stories on previous blog posts, and information is also available in the museum display.  During the summer months the museum is open every day from 10 - 5.
Pictures can  be supplied as unframed prints, and in various sizes. Print quality is excellent and colour is guaranteed fast for 70 years + although I may not be around by then to check on it!! Take a look at my website www.rachelmarkwick.co.uk  to see all the pictures.   

Tall Ships and tall stories at the Tall Ships Festival in Gloucester Docks this week-end

This week-end will see  magnificent tall ships sailing into Gloucester Docks for the bi-annual Tall Ships Festival.  Several have inspired stamp collages in past years, and I have 20 pictures on display now until September in the National Waterways Museum on the dockside, including a few or the  vessels that were here last time.  I'll be visiting the festival to see some newcomers, take some photos and hopefully eventually make some more pictures. La Malouine is back again this year, and features in one of my collages. I'm looking forward to seeing the Vilma, and the Grayhound as well as regular visitor the Matthew!

As well as the pictures on display on Floor No 2 of the National Waterways museum, you can read stories about the ships and other pictures, from previous blog posts, explaining how they came about, inspiration and interesting facts the ships and the stamps. I've also compiled two new  Stamp Search Quizzes for children( and adults).These have always gone down well in my own Open Studio.
This week-end, the entrance fee to the Tall Ships Festival also includes free entry to the National Waterways Museum and the tall ships visiting! 

COMING SOON! : Tall Ships Festival May 24th - 27th and my exhibition open from 16th May onwards ...

The Tall Ships Festival will be coming to Gloucester again this year from  24th - 27th May - Spring Bank Holiday week-end.

The Atyla in Gloucester Docks 

It's always a great event and I'm particularly excited about it this year as an exhibition of my Stamp Collage pictures of Ships will also be on show in  Gloucester Waterways Museum  from 16th May, through the Festival period and then on for several months - dates still to be finalised.  Several of the collages depict some of the tall ships which visited in 2017  including La Malouine, the Johanna Lucretia and the Atyla.  The White Heather has been undergoing a refit, and I'm not sure if she's finished, but my  picture of her, as she was two years ago, will be on show.
You will find the exhibition upstairs next to the new Museum Library.  There is so much to see in the museum, located right on the dockside, and with its own shop and cafe.  It's well worth the entrance fee which entitles you to return any number of times for a whole year.
My work includes originals and prints, which can be purchased by contacting me direct.  Cards will be available to buy from the museum shop. 

Johanna Lucretia, Stamp Collage . Now on show at Gloucester Guildhall until 30th October 2018

The Tall ships festival last year provided me with much inspiration for stamp collages, but I took a long time before embarking on my voyage of discovery and creating several new pictures!

The Johanna Lucretia is  just one of these but unlike others seen in the dock area during the festival,  I've portrayed her out on the high seas where she is often to be found. She was built in Belgium in 1945 and if you look  closely you will notice that I've used some old Belgian stamps to recreate her hull.

 For several of my latest ship collages, I've enjoyed using a new technique which is to sew the rigging using thread and scrim. She's technically known as a Topsail Schooner, and is 29 metres in length. In 1989 she was refitted in Gloucester by the firm T.Nielsen &  Co and used for training and chartered trips. She was found abandoned again in Gloucester Docks in 2008 and her current owners had to carry out another major restoration.

You can see the original Stamp Collage of the Johanna Lucretia in the exhibition, Stamping Ground 2, at Gloucester Guildhall until  30th October 2018 in the upstairs exhibition hall. Limited edition prints are also available and you can see a framed example of one of these at the joint exhibition called "Between Seeing and Dreaming", at The Old Passage Inn, Arlingham which will be on until the end of this year.   Gloucester Guildhall Box Office also have cards on sale  of many of the pictures in the exhibition and additional flags too! 

Fat Margaret Tower - Tallinn's Maritime Museum - an Estonian treasure

We visited  Estonia's Maritime Museum in 2017 but it is now closed for renovations until 2019. Fat Margaret, as the Medieval artillery Tower is know is the widest tower  in the city with walls up to 5 metres thick. It was completed in 1531. Some of the city's towers  can be climbed, and you can walk along certain stretches of the ramparts  and even have a coffee and cake at high altitude at the Neitsitorn Museum cafe, accessed via a very steep staircase. Beware the high cost, although the leaflet  does justifies it by saying that the tower has "breath-taking views of the Old Town, which is true!

Barquentine Estonia

The Nekmanngrund  - lightship

Maritime Museums always hold a great fascination for me with my love of making collages with ships as a subject,  and this one has more than 100 model ships,  with interesting stories to tell, no doubt,  if only I could have understood the language. Picked up a few leaflets and took many photographs of the models to keep for future research into subjects for stamp collages. A year later, and I still haven't made any ships based on any of these, but it's never too late.  The Don Fernando e Gloria, seen in Lisbon's Maritime museum the year before, has now been portrayed in a collage, and will be on show at my latest exhibition in The Guildhall, Gloucester, from 2nd - 30th October 2018.

The website www.fatmargarettower.com does provide some more information in English and other languages.  There are ships to visit in connection with the museum, but for us, time did not permit this time round!

People on stamps take up new roles in my Stamp Collage pictures

Fisherman near Naples

Car worker in Turin

I always like to make connections between my work as a Stamp Collage artist and the content of the stamps I'm using in my pictures. (The less than perfect specimen on the right, which would not appeal to a serious collector, would be a prime candidate for future work  as I prefer not to use stamps in top condition.)   I  use stamps with people on to form crews and passengers on ships, and  for "peopling" a landscape or crowd. Some stamps spring easily to mind, including this series of 17 stamps issued in Italy in 1950  known as Italia al lavoro  or Italy at Work.   Each one shows a person at work in the region known for  their particular trade, such as these shown here.
There is a  rather ancient looking automobile to the right of the I Lira design( above right), as Turin is the home of the Fiat motor company,  and in the background is a view of the mountains of  Piemonte. Having recently visited Naples and gazed daily on the wonderful view of Mount Vesuvius across the bay,  it was only today that I noticed in the 20 Lira  stamp shown above left, that in the background is Mount Vesuvius itself.  Surprisingly this Neapolitan  fisherman has not actually appeared on any of my ships, and I think this may be because he looks far too laid back,  leaning against  the ropes of his boat, whereas my "crews" have all been hard at work on various tasks.  I have used him as one of the characters peering out from between the pillars of the Leaning tower of Pisa though,  and he may well reappear in future in another role!

Detail from Leaning Tower of Pisa - see Landmarks on www.rachelmarkwick.co.uk

Tor read and see photos relating to the making of the Leaning Tower of Pisa collage please see my blog post of 10th March 2013.  Please note that the original of this was sold during my last exhibition at Gloucester Guildhall that year, but full size prints are available.

The White Heather - Stamp Collage Original and Prints on show

Currently on show at The Old Passage Arlingham is the exhibition "Between Seeing and Dreaming", featuring work by  artists working in a variety of media including painting, photography, jewellery, sculpture, ceramics and not forgetting my own stamp collages, of which The White Heather is one. At the Old Passage I've included a framed print, and the original can shortly be seen in my new exhibition, Stamping Ground 2, at Gloucester Guildhall from 2nd October,  until 30th October. in the exhibition hall.

The White Heather is a Cornish Lugger built in 1926, originally operating out of Mevagissy and fishing from Falmouth before being laid up on the River Fal for many years.  From 1988 she was running sailing trips from Fowey in Cornwall.  I was pleased to go on board this beautiful old lugger, one of only a dozen still surviving, when she was in Gloucester Docks in 2017 for the bi-annual Tall Ships Festival. We heard that she has sailed to Morocco and Brazil before returning to Britain via the Caribbean, but is now undergoing refitting in the docks.
In this picture I've used stamps, envelopes, thread for the rigging and even words from an old stamp album.

The Frigate Dom Fernando II E Gloria - Stamp collage inspired by a visit to Lisbon Maritime Museum

I went through a rather unproductive phase, in terms of actually making new work over the latter part 2017. But Spring has brought with it new energy, and ideas stored up over some years are now emerging in the form of new collages, including this one of the Frigate Dom Fernando II e Gloria. 

In November 2014, we made our first visit to Lisbon, and my love of ships as a subject for pictures  took us to the Maritime Museum in the Belem area, home also to the Monument of the Discoveries mentioned in a previous blog of  October 2016.The  museum houses a vast collection of  paintings and models of ships including this one of the Dom Fernando II e Gloria.

The museum also owns several paintings  including one by Roger Chapelet showing her in full sail, which has been useful in the making of my own stamp collage picture, featured here.
Stamps and  envelopes have been incorporated in this collage with the sky painted in watercolour and the rigging ink and pencil. As always, finding a crew was an interesting  challenge!This fully rigged  ship  built of teak in India in 1843 was the last frigate of the navy.  On her maiden voyage from Goa to Lisbon in 1845 she was armed with 18 guns.  She was used for transporting cargo, troops, passengers and "deportees to Angola and Mozambique". She was also used as a Naval artillery school and school of seamanship from 1865 until 1937.  She was partially destroyed by a fire in 1963 when she was the HQ of a children's home. In 1990 rebuilding commenced, to be  completed in 1998, and she can now be visited near Aveiro.  I hope to be able to do this one day!

 I discovered that the Dom Fernando II e Gloria  also features on Portuguese stamps issued in 1997.

John Piper - Liverpool Metropolitan cathedral, art and stamps - Inspiring!

A few years ago I  enjoyed the exhibition "John Piper in the 1930s - Abstraction on the Beach" at Dulwich Picture Gallery, so I  was pleased to find another exhibition of his work this year at Tate Liverpool, featuring collages, and other mixed media artworks. This was one of the highlights of our recent stay in this wonderful city, and a film about Piper's and  Rutyens' designs  for  stained glass for the Catholic cathedral, prompted us to revisit this awe inspiring  building!

In my own work using stamps in collages I have become familiar with subjects of stamps and noted that one of John Piper's paintings from 1940 also appeared  on a British stamp issued in 1968,

the church of St Mary Le  Port, Bristol  badly bombed in WW2.

The Metropolitan Cathedral was also the subject of a stamp as part of the British Cathedrals series of 1969, with a value of 1/6d.  Pre-Decimal Currency. 

John Piper used all sorts of materials in his work, including matchbox labels, paper doilies, string, wallpaper, but as far as I know, never postage stamps.  Visiting Liverpool and having seen this latest exhibition, some of the small craft moored in the Albert Dock also seemed  reminiscent of vessels featured in some of his work.  My own ship themed collages completed since seeing this exhibition, now also incorporate a few new materials, such as cotton and scrim for the rigging and additional painted elements.Matchbox labels? Not yet, but see my Ships page of www.rachelmarkwick.co.uk for latest collages. Thank you John Piper for the inspiration!

Tall Ships

The first stamp collages I ever made featured ships and this has remained a favourite subject for me!
My website includes a ship category, showing collages currently available, as well as an archived section showing others which have been sold and now reside in many locations around the USA, Italy, UK and Singapore.  I'm always on the look out for new inspiration and the Tall Ships Festival in Gloucester Docks, provided much food for thought!

We were lucky to be able to board La Malouine,a magnificent Brig, built in Gdansk, Poland in 1972.

and also to see her sister ship Lady of Avanel which appeared in Disney's 2016 film, "Through the Looking Glass", filmed in Gloucester Docks.

The attractive Cornish Lugger, White Heather,  was also moored nearby, and we were able to walk around on deck. Built in 1926, she has recently sailed to Morocco and Brazil returning to Britain via the Caribbean. 

With her  turquoise, black and white paintwork, she is almost sure to be one I will just have to use as a subject for a picture!  Check out my website www.rachelmarkwick.co.uk in a while .. I hope to add some new ships before too long!

Boring "labels" on your letters? .. Single use only?? Recycle them is what I do!!

It's quite difficult to find stamps that are predominently white so I've been hoarding these rather boring "labels" which the Post Office put on Special Delivery envelopes in anticipation that they might come in useful sometime ....

 "Single Use Only" is printed in the bottom right hand corner, but I've managed to recycle them effectively I hope,  into the sails of my latest boat.


Almost finished .. just a few  details  to add, including a crew and a flag to hoist!

The pavements of Portugal on stamps

You can't help but look down at where you are walking in Lisbon as the pavements are both beautiful but at the same time often quite lethal, especially when it's been raining or you're walking down one of the many very steep hills!  But you have to love and admire these magnificent works of art from the simple house or shop numbers, to the intricate designs on the public squares and avenues which are a famous feature of this charming capital city!

The pavements are made up of literally millions of cubes of black and white stone, occasionally using other colours, to form the patterns,   Simple geometric designs are used in some places,  such as the ones shown here below in the Largo Trinidade Coelho with its Kiosk of San Roque dating back to the late 19th century, a popular place to sit and enjoy a coffee or a beer!(The bronze statue is of a lottery ticket vendor). More intricate patterns and designs have been used  in Camoes Square in the Bairro Alto area of Lisbon, where there are fine examples of ancient sailing ships, known as Caravels,

This celebrates the city's maritime heritage of  voyages of discovery to distant lands by navigators such as Vasco da Gama and Magellan.

In July 2016 a set of stamps and a souvenir sheet  was issued depicting these famous pavements, known as Calcada Portuguesa, which are now used not only in Portugal but in other countries such as Brazil and Spain!   They originated in Portugal though, introduced in the 19th century by Eusebio Candido Pinheiro Furtado, a connoisseur of Roman mosaic art.  The work of laying these pavements at that time was mainly carried out by prisoners who laid the pavements of the Praca Dom Pedro IV (Rossio square).