The Grayhound - new arrival in Gloucester Waterways Museum exhibition on Floor 2 - and new cards

The Grayhound - Stamp collage by Rachel Markwick

 I have added a framed limited edition  stamp collage print of the Grayhound  to the other pictures of ships currently in my exhibition in the Waterways Museum,  Llanthony Warehouse in Gloucester docks. Also available in the museum is a selection of my cards mainly featuring ships and flags.
Cards are priced at £2.50 each or £10 for  5 . These are also on Floor 2 but need to be purchased  in the shop on the Ground floor .  The exhibition continues on until October, but will update on  closing date, as it may be extended.

Here are some of the latest additions to my range of cards:

The Atyla, The Grayhound, The White Heather and La Malouine  in Gloucester Docks

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. 

How long does it take?

How long does it take you to make a picture? That's a question artists are often asked.  A good answer is, "A lifetime of experimenting", or in the case of this particular piece, almost a year!

Not that I've been physically working on it for all that time, but I went with a good friend to the wonderful Tall Ships festival last May, and La Malouine was moored by the Warehouses in Gloucester docks.d We climbed aboard and were given a tour by one of the crew.

We asked what the name meant and were told that the ship came from St Malo in France.  Using photos taken at the time, and having sorted out suitable stamps I got started a few months later, but have only recently completed the picture .. the brickwork of the warehouses and the windows were a challenge but very absorbing.

For the first time, I've used cotton dipped in acrylic paint to sew in the rigging and am quite pleased with the effect!   And I saw several  beautiful ships that day ... so watch this space! 

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!