John Mecray: A Celebration of Life, Art, and Yachting by Julia Church
Through my paintings I have tried to portray what I believe to be some of the most magnificent objects ever created, classic sailing vessels—particularly the large racing yachts from the mid-1800s through the 1930s. For a sailor, they are evocative in a most compelling way. For an artist, they are truly inspiring, with an endless variety of interaction of shapes, patterns and lines to delight the eye: From the shivery essence of soaring sails, to the moving hull, a perfect example of form following function. —John Mecray
Beginnings
John Mecray’s artistic talents became apparent early on, and, as a young man, he won several awards as a student in the Cape May, New Jersey, public school system. In 1954 he was accepted at the prestigious Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts), where he studied illustration and painting. He served two-and-a-half years in the US Army stationed in Germany and became a set and graphic designer for the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra, and an illustrator for the Seventh Army Headquarters’ Psychological Warfare Company. After his return to the United States and graduation from art school, he enjoyed a successful career as a freelance illustrator in Philadelphia during the 1960s, during which time he illustrated four books, including a scout manual, created magazine illustrations, and developed a long list of advertising clients.
photos and images courtesy of the estate of john mecray
A
mong modern marine artists, John Mecray gained an international reputation as a major talent who, through his art, successfully captured the spirit of classic racing yachts, their power and grace, and moreover imparted his own loveof-subject. His masterful paintings depict the long, wooden yachts of the America’s Cup races of the early twentieth century—the J-Class yachts that were at the cutting edge of design and considered the peak racers of the era, when the Universal Rule determined eligibility in the America’s Cup. Today, only a few of these grand yachts still exist. Mecray’s legacy lives on not only through his art, but also through his work to support restoration efforts; he is well-known for his role in the founding of the Museum of Yachting and the International Yacht Restoration School (now IYRS School of Technology & Trades) in Newport, Rhode Island. The maritime heritage comJohn Mecray munity lost a valuable friend and important (1937–2017) advocate when John Mecray died last November in Jamestown, Rhode Island, of acute myeloid leukemia. He was 80 years old.
A Change in Course
In 1972, Mecray received an invitation to crew on a 40-foot sailboat bound for St. Thomas, a sailing trip that proved life-changing. The experience awakened in him something profound, and he discovered new subject matter for his canvases. After a second voyage, this new passion had taken hold and he was creating marine scenes. Nineteenth-century marine artist James E. Buttersworth, one of the foremost American ship portraitists of the golden age of steam and sail, was a major inspiration for Mecray; the acquisition of one of Butterworth’s works ultimately sealed his determination to produce realistic images of the sea and seafaring. In 1976, after a third passage to the Virgin Islands, Mecray walked away from a successful career as an illustrator in Philadelphia to move to Newport, Rhode Island, and dedicate himself to marine painting—a career move that ultimately brought him even greater acclaim. He established a studio on Thames Street, near the historic harbor. In 1977 his work was featured in the America’s Cup issue of Yachting magazine. Shortly afterwards, Ted Turner
Flying Cloud
Departing New York, June 2nd 1851 22
SEA HISTORY 164, AUTUMN 2018