"It’s
not a hobby, it’s a way of life. When I look at the
ocean, I get the same feeling pilots must get when they
look to the sky."
-
Christopher Blossom
When a child
has a father and grandfather who are both well-known illustrators, it is
likely the offspring will also become an artist. When a boy starts to
sail at the age of six, it is also likely that the artist might choose
the sea and sailing ships as his subject. Such was the case for
Christopher Blossom, who, by the time he left the Parsons School of
Design and Robert Bourke’s Design Studio, could visualize a finished
boat from only its plans—and draw the craft from any angle. Before
Blossom was twenty, he had sailed under square rig aboard the brigantine
Young America.
Known
for his complex, detailed compositions of ships at sea, Blossom combines
his appreciation for the beauty and the menace of the sea with his love
of maritime history and ship construction. Before Blossom paints a
vessel, he is likely to study the ship’s blueprint to learn about its’
hull design, length, tonnage and deck layout.
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Sunrise in the Golden Gate:
Down Easter "Benjamin F. Packard"
The Benjamin F. Packard had a long and varied life
and was a regular visitor to San Francisco, having been built for the trade
around Cape Horn to the west coast. Her first few years, the Packard was under
the management of her builders, Goss, Sawyer & Packard of Bath Maine. In 1887,
the managing ownership was purchased by Arthur Sewall & Company also of Bath,
under whose management she remained for the rest of her Cape Horn career. In
1909, she was sold to the Northwest Fisheries Co. of Port Townsend, Washington
for the salmon packing business. With this change she sailed north each year for
the season until 1924 when she was sold and made the voyage back to New York
once again, this time under tow with a load of lumber. After her return to the
east coast, with several changes of ownership and continued deterioration, she
eventually became one of the centerpieces at the amusement park Rye Playland,
being used, ignominiously, as a ‘pirate ship’ for years. In 1939, she was
dismantled and towed to the dumping grounds of Eaton’s Neck, NY and sunk.
Fortunately, prior to this, her main cabin was dismantled and saved and is now
on exhibit at Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut
Limited Edition Masterwork giclee canvas
handsigned by the artist
The discovery of gold in California in
1848 had a dramatic impact on this country and the rest of the world. In the
shipping industry, for example, speed and capacity became even more
important for shipping goods to the booming city of San Francisco. It was
during this time, at the height of the clipper ship era, that George Raynes
built the Witch of the Wave at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Limited Edition giclee canvas
handsigned by the artist
Pilot Schooner "Gracie
S. ", Becalmed off Alcatraz
Ships navigating into and out of the
harbors around San Francisco in the late nineteenth century were typically
met by a pilot, a local seaman familiar with the shallow waters around the
coastline. After directing the ship through the waters, the pilot would
return to his schooner and await the next ship. The pilot schooner Gracie S.
traveled waters around San Francisco from the nineteenth to the early
twentieth century, tirelessly aiding larger ships in their passage.
Limited Edition giclee canvas
handsigned by the artist
In U.S. Frigate Congress on the California
Coast, artist Christopher Blossom presents us with the flagship of the
California squadron during the war with Mexico. Built between 1839 and 1842
at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Maine, the Congress served off South America
in the 1840s. The Civil War brought Congress back to U.S. waters, joining
the blockade of the Confederacy's Atlantic coast. In March 1862, US Congress
was attacked by the ironclad CSS Virginia and forced to surrender.
Limited Edition giclee canvas
handsigned by the artist
A trace of salt water is noticeable in the
light tropical breeze; time-worn, velvety Caribbean sand gives way
underfoot; the soft intermingling of land and sea the only sound.
Christopher Blossom’s passion for the beauty of the sea keeps him close to
his subject and it was while on a working trip in the Bahamas’ Berry Islands
that he found inspiration for Ashore at Soldier’s Cay.
“This small uninhabited cay was about
300 yards long by 100 yards wide and probably 10 feet at its highest
elevation. Consisting of mostly coral, beach and scrub brush, with the
Atlantic to the east and banks (where we were anchored) to the west. I found
the essentially deserted landscape intriguing. It seemed like we were the
only people on earth.”
~Christopher Blossom
Limited Edition giclee canvas
handsigned by the artist
Afternoon Arrival, Gloucester captures a
moment in the early 20th
century as the fishing schooner Monitor slides quietly into Gloucester,
Massachusetts’ inner harbor in the late afternoon.
“I have always enjoyed painting the
arrival and departure of vessels. Regardless of the excitement or
anticipation of the voyage to come, when setting out there is an underlying
level of apprehension. The ocean can be unforgiving. With the satisfaction
of a successfully completed trip, there is always a feeling of relief mixed
with thoughts of homecoming.”
~Christopher Blossom
Limited Edition giclee canvas
handsigned by the artist
A mackerel schooner sails in early spring
morning fog as another schooner silently disappears into the misty
background. The smell of brine is heavy in the chilly air as the ship's dory
secures the beginning of the net from the seine boat, whose crew of ten
begins "tossing the twine" in a methodical effort to encircle the day's
catch.
Limited Edition giclee canvas
handsigned by the artist
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