Sailing Through the Art World Brothers Vincent (PR 1987-91) and Patrick (PR 1985-89) Harris are yet another fine example of our eclectic OMs. After university, Patrick decided to combine his two loves, art and sailing, and so started applying artwork and graphics to sails. His brother later joined him and, based in Mallorca, they now own the successful Sail Graphics Palma, part of the Harris Atelier. Q How did you get into the sail graphics business? Patrick: I trained as an architect and graduated in Fine Art from Winchester School of Art. I was also a sailor with an ocean yachtmaster qualification. After a while of sailing, painting in various studios and making exhibitions, I saw an opportunity to put the right hand and the left hand together. Vincent had studied Classics at Canterbury, but we decided to join forces in 2000 and since then have worked as independent consultants to sail lofts (a loft or room where sails are cut out and made) and to yacht owners. I’ve always felt that there are certain things in common when combining sailing with painting: observation, intuition and quiet confidence. Q. How did you end up in Mallorca? Patrick: In 1997, we made a two-handed transatlantic delivery crossing together. We arrived in Mallorca and discovered what an interesting place it was with a diverse landscape, lots of mountains and coastline, and a wonderful climate. At that time, there were opportunities in the old town of Palma for painting studios, exhibitions and a part-time income from yacht deliveries. Q. Tell us about some of the projects you’ve worked on over the years. Vincent: That’s difficult! Over the years, we have painted hundreds of sails, however, there are a few that stand out. There was Topaz, a J-Class yacht, who wanted a
multi-faceted gemstone on the spinnakers. S/Y Aglaia, a Vitters 66m sloop, wanted an artistic design covering both sides of the Code Zero sail (a cross between a genoa and an asymmetrical spinnaker that is used for sailing close to the wind in light air). Magne Furuholmen (from the band A-ha) designed the artwork and commissioned us to develop and reproduce the 1m maquette to the real size of 77m tall. The sheer scale and technical challenges of working on a sail that covers half the size of a football pitch was incredibly challenging. However, part of the success of the art design was that it used both sides of the sail and made good use of the translucent sail cloth. It was wonderful to be part of such a unique project. And then there was a fun project for a vineyard owner’s schooner, Es Fangar. The brief was to paint a wine bottle bursting through a sail. We used cloth inlays to match the blue sky and I think the result worked really well. Q. What makes an effective sail design? Patrick: There are a variety of things to consider that help make an effective design. Using bold colours with a strong contrast between the sail and the graphic makes a huge difference to the image. Sails often have translucent properties which can be used to make interesting effects. The size and position of the artwork on the sail is, obviously, vitally important as it is seen from many viewpoints – on board, afar and sometimes with twist – so you see parts of
‘After a while of sailing, painting in various studios and making exhibitions, I saw an opportunity to put the right hand and the left hand together...’ 50
The Marlburian Club Magazine
