Retiring from the Fleet

by Mark Taylor

Title

Retiring from the Fleet

Artist

Mark Taylor

Medium

Digital Art - Digital Art And Mixed Media

Description

Retiring from the Fleet

Inspired by more than 400 years of maritime and fishing history in and around the vast and often stormy waters of New England, this is the third in a series of works depicting fishing boats that I have created.

From the arrival of the Pilgrims in Plymouth in 1620 to the present day, the coasts of New England have been the sites of defensive forts and the home of commerce, fishing, whaling, and the ship building industry.

Retiring from the Fleet shows a small fishing vessel anchored close to shore drifting perilously towards shallower waters and dangerous rocks. The boat has been at sea for many years but the tough conditions for fishermen who have risked their lives for the entirety of their careers, the shrinking quotas, and declining markets have meant that many who once relied on going out to sea to make a living have abandoned their vessels in the hope of one day returning.

The ocean has taken its toll on this boat, rusting and slowly eroding. The glass is cracked, and the rope strains as every wave erodes a fisherman’s dream just a little more. But she’s still floating, and hope remains that one day she will go out to sea just one more time.

I wanted to create this work to celebrate the human achievement of the remarkable ship building and engineering that has come out of New England, and to celebrate the courage of those who go out to sea. My goal is to inspire those who see my work to look more carefully and closely at the world around them, to remember the stories and remember the people.

Mark is an artist and blogger and has previously been awarded a Royal award for his environmental work by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne. Mark currently lives in Staffordshire in the UK. All purchases made through Fine Art America and Pixels come with a 30 day money back guarantee. All of Mark’s work is subject to copyright.

Uploaded

January 14th, 2018

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