When the Boats Come in

Description

Introducing ‘When The Boats Come In’ a night time seascape from British Naïve Artist Kerry Shearer.

This gorgeous moonlit coastal naïve art is an ode to those that live and work around the UK Coast and the generations that have gone before.

Growing up in the Coastal North East of England Kerry was influenced firstly by the surrounding landscape. Secondly also by the oral traditions of the area. A well-known folk song ‘When the Boat Comes In’ was often sung to her as a small child by her father and grandfather.

Much of Kerry’s artwork has a narrative quality to it and this is no exception. In this wonderful depiction of the seaside coastline you can clearly see how her imagination has been influenced.

There’s a whimsical quality to the way the buildings are leaning and snuggling together. It is as if they are anticipating the arrival of the boats and the treasures they might contain. The skewed perspective of the harbour gives the painting movement and a lyrical feel. If the painting could sing it would be humming the tune to this famous folk song!

Use of Colour:

Moonlight dances on the water as the fishing fleet are make their way home to share the catch. Flashes of crisp clear white sit alongside the deepest of inky blues. Its velvet indigo sky and deep marine water gives the painting a traditional nautical feel.

Kerry compliments this in her use of softer teals and muted purple browns to complete her colour palette. In contrast to these her choice of white and ochre yellow has been used sparingly for real impact. Subsequently you are invited to look carefully at the layered details in the acrylic painting.

Taking a closer look at the image you can see how she has fashioned the surface of the harbour wall and some of the fishermans cottage details by scraping back into the top layer of paint. The sgraffito technique adds overall depth to this moonlit coastal naïve art. it serves to highlight textures there.

This contemporary artwork has been heavily influenced by the past; A fishing tradition as well as a folk tradition that reaches back centuries has helped  define the overall landscape of the British Isles.

You can have your very own little piece of this tradition with this spectacular painting hanging on your walls.