Historical Marine Art of the Pacific Northwest By Kevin Haydon
The Imperial Eagle sailing for the Northwest Coast in 1786, by Steve Mayo The Imperial Eagle was acquired by officers of the Honorable East India Company for their own private fur-trading venture to America. Under Austrian registry, she sailed for the Pacific Northwest with an all-English crew in command ofCapt a in Charles Barkley in 1786. Accompanying the captain was his courageous seventeen-year-old wife Frances, who kept a delightful journal which is, today, in the Provincial Museum, Victoria BC. The 120-ft 400-ton trader is shown here nearing the Northwest coast in a gale with double-reefed topsails and single-reefed foresail . The topgallant sails with their yards have been lowered to the deck and stowed.
The Northwest has always held a distinct maritime identity. It rises out of an experience with the fierce seas and rugged shores along the Pacific coasts of Oregon and Washington that is in tum balanced by the sheltering straits, islands and inlets of the north . Etched in deep by the vitality of the nineteenthcentury lumber and whaling trades, the maritimecharacterofthe region continues today in its thriving fisheries. To make art from this heritage is to find bold clear images and viewers who can appreciate them. Nicolas Kirsten, partner in Kirsten Galleries of Seattle, described his first introduction to Northwest hi storical maritime art as one of complete astonishment. Called to Seattle from Santa Fe in 1976 to join his brother Richard 's gallery business, he remembers walking in to find something he had never
seen in Santa Fe galleries: a completely sold-out exhibit. "I knew then," says Nicolas, "that there must be something to all this marine historical art!" It happened to be one in a series of near panic sellout shows by artist Steve Mayo of Bellingham, Washington. "I was impressed," recalls Nicolas. "The demand for Steve 's work became so great that we had to sell it by lottery. It is this kind of energy that is responsible for fostering so many great historical maritime painters in the Pacific Northwest. It is not just that the paintings sell that creates a need for this kind of art, but it is also a reflection of the rich heritage of the many ports and maritime jobs in this region. There is a natural fascination with these activities throughout the region 's history which provides both inspiration for the artist and an appreciative audience."
HMS Resolution, off the Northwest Coast in March of 1778, by Steve Mayo HMS Resolution reflects extensive research of old journals, ships' plans, and numerous historical accounts. On this, his third and last voyage, Cook was commander-in-chief of the expedition consisting of his ship, the Resolution, and another bark, the Discovery. Their mission to the Northwest coast was to locate the mythical "Northwest Passage." Sailing master of the Resolution was William Bligh and also among the 108 men on board was young George Van couver, a midshipman. When Cook actually landed at Friendly Cove on March 29, he became the first European to stand on the shores of British Columbia. Realizing that, he raised the Union Ja ck and claimed this part of the coast for Great Britain.
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SEA HISTORY 61, SPRING 1992