“Bottle Rocher”
© 2020, Watercolour, 22” by 14”
This one is a tribute to the proud fishing industry on Canada’s east coast, and the men, women, and children who have piloted tiny vessels such as the one shown in the painting into often dangerous waters.
This painting started as a concept idea that I had last summer, shortly after I had finished my previous “boat in a bottle” variation, “Nova Scotia Blue.” Where that particular painting was designed ahead of time in Photoshop without me ever having travelled to Peggy’s Cove, I wanted to try actually visiting an iconic Maritime site in person and take a picture of the bottle on-site. So, in late July, I drove out to P.E.I. to pick up my wife and kids who were visiting family, and took the long route, specifically by way of the Gaspé Peninsula.
I spent a lot of time on the cobble stone beach in front of the Rocher Percé, and took a couple of dozen pictures of my stalwart bottle nested in amongst the cobbles. After all that though, I didn’t get one exactly the way I wanted, with the rocks half-submerged in water, and with the huge rock formation in the correct location in the background, so I ended up combining a few of them “in post.”
As for the boat, it’s also based on a photograph that I took on that same trip, this one in New Brunswick. In fact, if you've driven to P.E.I in the last few years, you've passed this boat on the way to the Confederation bridge. It's up on blocks in front of a barn and is in much worse shape than I've painted it.
This painting was an opportunity to experiment with forced perspectives by making both the background and foreground out of focus. This focuses the attention on the bottle in the middle, and enhances the illusion that it’s a model.
Bottle Rocher
Original Available
Frames
Prints
Reproductions of my art are available printed either on paper or canvas. Both formats are signed by me, the artist, and are high quality, full-colour prints of a high resolution scan or photograph of the original painting. All prints are inspected to ensure that the colours match the source and created using inks that are guaranteed to resist both fading and UV light.
Paper Reproductions
These are printed on high quality paper to give them the look and feel of the original painting. In terms of the dimensions listed, please keep in mind that they are approximate. Since I custom mat and frame the prints myself, I reproduce them at specific sizes so that when they are matted to standard matting dimensions, the mat-board borders are consistent widths on all sides. It’s because of this that I highly recommend that you upgrade to the matted version (seriously, go do it now).
Now, if you've ordered a print that is not a standard sized when matted, then I highly recommend that you go back and order it in a frame. As described in the sister section Frames, I do all my own framing using reclaimed wood and am affordable.
Stretched Canvases
If you want to avoid matting and framing altogether, then I suggest that you order the canvas option. I stretch the canvases myself using reclaimed wood and, with a profile that is an inch and a half thick, the art will make a strong statement on your wall.