Harry Russell may have been a ‘primitive’ painter, but his heritage of work is varied, colourful, delightful to watch and can be, as here, quite thought-provoking. It tells a story. We are waiting on the shore to see again some of the ships that passed along this great river. Viewing the ships was one of the sales points of Canvey’s early developers. Here the ships are still there, parading ghost-like, sail and steam.
Yet the photographer, we notice, points his camera to the more substantial image in front. Thames barges have not quite gone. We can still watch a few on barge race days. Still, with the new container port there ought to be more shipping returning to the river, big ugly ones at least. The evocative ‘Waiting for the Tall Ships’ is a good example why Canvey ought to have its own Arts Trail or Festival. So many artists have caught its spirit in the past – and some still do… Robert Hallmann
By Robert Hallmann (01/11/2009)
I seem to remember the ‘Tall Ships’ coming past in the 80’s. Was it the tall ship race or something?
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Harry Russell may have been a ‘primitive’ painter, but his heritage of work is varied, colourful, delightful to watch and can be, as here, quite thought-provoking. It tells a story. We are waiting on the shore to see again some of the ships that passed along this great river. Viewing the ships was one of the sales points of Canvey’s early developers. Here the ships are still there, parading ghost-like, sail and steam.
Yet the photographer, we notice, points his camera to the more substantial image in front. Thames barges have not quite gone. We can still watch a few on barge race days.
Still, with the new container port there ought to be more shipping returning to the river, big ugly ones at least.
The evocative ‘Waiting for the Tall Ships’ is a good example why Canvey ought to have its own Arts Trail or Festival. So many artists have caught its spirit in the past – and some still do…
Robert Hallmann
I seem to remember the ‘Tall Ships’ coming past in the 80’s. Was it the tall ship race or something?
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