SubArt's Artists

SUBART'S ARTISTS

Below is a brief description of some of SubArt's artists but first:

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Sarah BURBRIDGE	Founder, contributor and administrator of this SubArt.net website. It may seem an unusual topic for a female artist but Sarah, born in York, England in 1965, loves painting submarines. It all began when she was researching and diving upon the remains of WW2 Kriegsmarine wrecks in Brittany, France, during 1998. Fascinating though that was, the huge U-boat bunkers that still today dominate the coastline in Brest and Lorient proved even more intriguing. These concrete monstrosities, together with the underwater wartime casualties, initiated her curiosity in German U-boats. Before long that interest stretched to submarines of all eras and all nations. An interest that today Sarah expresses through her paintbrush. Now living near Banbury (about as far from the sea as is possible in England!), Sarah Burbridge is a full time professional artist: "It is a fascinating occupation as I get to meet or correspond with many submariners who all have fascinating stories of the sea to tell. Some are WW2 veterans, others more at home on the nuclear subs. I try to learn the history of every submarine I paint. Also, I attempt to capture some of the submariner’s character within the painting itself. " Her paintings have been on public show across Britain, Germany and America and have also been published in international magazines and book dust-jackets. Most of her time, however, is happily spent working on commissions for enthusiasts or submariners themselves.
John PETTIT	During WW2 John Pettitt spent his childhood living in and around RAF and USAF Air Bases that included both fighters and bombers. This created for John a huge interest in aviation both early and modern, aspects from which he draws his inspiration for his paintings. Although primarily an aviation artist, John also paints maritime topics too - submarines being a particular favourite. He is mainly self-taught with brief peiods at Art colleges. He has exhibited in Athens, New York and Melbourne, Australia and has regular one man shows in the UK. His work can be seen in many air and navy bases and museums in the UK and abroad. John has also painted 3 works on commission depicting 617 Squadron "Dam Busters", prints of these works were signed by 10 members of 617 squadron crew. More of John's non-submarine work can be viewed at www.pettittrock.co.uk
John MEEKS	Born in England, John Meeks now resides near Vancouver, Canada, and is a lot older than he would like to be. Primarily an Aviation Artist, he was accepted into the American Society of Aviation Artists in 1999 and has exhibited in shows and exhibitions in both Canada and the USA on a regular basis in that genre. He now has canvases in collections in Canada, the US, Europe and the UK. He decided to “come out” after discovering the SubArt.net website…. finally admitting that he also had a lifelong interest in (sub)marine subjects! After submitting one U-Boat painting he was both delighted and surprised at the interest and the quick sale that resulted! He now admits to receiving more satisfaction from his marine works than his aviation pieces! Living on the North American West Coast, it is possibly natural that he has a strong interest in the Pacific theatre of World War II, and he is deeply fascinated by the large Japanese I-Boats and their participation in that conflict. He is also committed to try to emphasize the human (or, perhaps, ‘inhuman’ …. ?) aspects of “life in a tin can” rather than simply portraying the boats themselves. A keen enthusiast of the French Impressionists, he finds that he leans a little more each day towards their styles and techniques. To see more of his (non- submarine) work, you may visit his own website at www.skybirdart.com
Jim CHRISTLEY	Jim Christley was on active duty in the US Navy from 1962 to 1982, retiring as a Senior Chief Electrician. During this time he served aboard diesel electric, nuclear fast attack and ballistic missile submarines. After retiring from the Navy he worked in the field of submarine noise reduction as an engineering consultant. In 1999 he started a third career as an artist. Studying with such notable marine artists as Louis Bonomarte, Gerald Levey and Robert Spring he started displaying his work in southeastern Connecticut in 2000. Throughout his Naval and engineering career to the present he has researched, studied and written about submarine technical history. His writing and art have appeared in several books and magazines and his paintings are in many private and corporate collections. At present his art is displayed at galleries in Essex an Mystic Connecticut. His home and studio are in Lisbon , Connecticut .
Grzegorz NAWROCKI Portrait of artist by his daughter	Grzegorz Nawrocki lives in Poland and is an architect by trade. He has been interested in all things marine for a very long time and expresses his passion through his paintings. His vast knowledge in this topic has led to enjoy a working relationship with many Polish sea and military publishers spanning many years. His favourite painting technique is watercolour and guache, but he also uses acrylic and oil on occasions. As well as painting submarines, sailing ships, famous warships, great sea battles, civil ships etc he also paints military vehicles. To see some of Grzegorz Nawrocki's other paintings please visit the artist's Polish webiste: http://grzegorz-nawrocki.com/
Willaim H. RaVell	William H. RaVell is a self-taught American artist who has been painting since his youth. He specializes in marine art but is equally at home with landscapes and portraits. He works primarily in acrylic and his paintings are included in many corporate, military and private collections including the United States Coast Guard Academy and the wardrooms of many Navy and Coast Guard Vessels. For many years he painted submarine portraits for the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics, Groton, CT, USA.
Michael Rock	Michael Rock, born in 1957, draws and paints various topics but loves to concentrate on maritime or aviation subjects in particular. He is a member of his local art society in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and also the Bayswater Road Artists Association in London. His artwork has been sold in many various parts of the world. Michael Rock works mainly in oils, but he also produces pencil drawings as well. He is always willing to undertake commissions when requested.
Lt.Com.J.Carl HARTSFIELD	Lieutenant Commander J. Carl Hartsfield is a U. S. Navy submarine officer. He has served on fast attack submarines USS Los Angeles (SSN-688) and USS Parche (SSN-683). He is currently a master’s candidate in a cooperative program between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His next assignment will be Executive Officer of a ballistic missile submarine. Hartsfield's works are done in water-based acrylics and primarily centre around nautical themes and birds – specifically parrots. He is self taught and began painting in 2002.
Andreas KRUSE	Der Marinemaler Andreas Kruse wurde 1965 hinter dem Emsdeich im ostfriesischen Jemgum geboren. Die Nähe zum Strom und die Schiffe übten eine grosse Faszination auf ihn aus. Schon in frühester Jugend begann er, seine nähere Umgebung, und vor allem die Schiffe auf der Ems zu skizzieren und zu malen. Dabei kamen alle gängigen Zeichentechniken zur Anwendung, wie z. B. Kreiden, Bleistift, Kohle, Rötel und auch Feder. Seine Begabung und das feine Gefühl für die Wirkung der Farben machten ihm auch das Fertigen von Aquarellen, Temperas und natürlich auch Ölgemälden leicht, wodurch jedes einzelne seiner Werke von hoher Qualität ist. Heute ist der Marinemaler Andreas Kruse aufgrund seiner detailgenauen, oft fast fotografisch realistischen Darstellungsweise im In- und Ausland ein anerkannter Vertreter seiner Zunft. Jeder Sachkenner weiss, dass seine Schiffe die schwierigsten Objekte für perspektivisch korrekte Darstellungen sind. Ganz besonders hat sich der Marinemaler Andreas Kruse der Darstellung alter Schiffstypen wie Klipper und Tjalken verschrieben, die speziell in seiner ostfriesischen Heimat durch den Einsatz tatkräftiger Einzelpersonen oder auch Heimatvereinen eine Renaissance erleben. Zu den Auftraggebern seiner Werke zählen aufgrund seiner thematischen Bandbreite sowohl Werften, Reedereien, Städte und Gemeinden, Fischerfamilien, Kapitäne und Besatzungsangehörige wie auch Privatpersonen.
Kevin ANDERSON	Kevin Anderson lives near the Saint Clair River which connects the southern end of Lake Huron to the northern end of Lake St. Clair, and is one of the busiest waterways for shipping in the world. He has been fascinated with, and drawing, ships and boats his entire life, especially submarines. Kevin's second cousin, TM1 John Foster, sailed on all 5 of the USS Tang's patrols and did not survive her loss. Kevin attended Art School at the University of Michigan and received a BFA. Since then he has been raising his family and working as a firefighter in Port Huron, Michigan, where he is currently a Captain. Kevin accepts commissions and can be reached through SubArt.net
Michel GUYOT	Michel currently lives and works in Paris (since 1972) although originally from Brittany. He spent his youth in Brest, overlooking the French naval harbour. Many members of his family were in the Marine Nationale and his father (born in 1920 and still alive today) was a sailor during the Second World War, serving mainly on the battleship Dunkerque - a survivor of the battle of Mers-el-Kebir in July 1940. He has painted since his youth, following in his father's footsteps who was also an amateur artist. Having spent sometime in the Caribbean, and married to a wife from Martinique, his subjects include tropical landscapes as well as Parisian scenes, seascapes and portraits. Four years ago he discovered the French marine artist Marin-Marie and consequently has concentrated on painting ships since then. His preferred media are watercolour, gouache and acrylic. Only since the beginning of 2007 has he discovered the joy of painting submarines!
Laura ROSS	Laura Ross lives in Lyme, Connecticut not far from the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton, CT. After graduating from the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor’s degree in Art, she began employment at General Dynamics, Electric Boat in Groton, CT in the Design Department working the SSBN 726 Class new construction program. After leaving Electric Boat, she has worked for various U.S. Navy engineering contractors within the submarine field producing technical illustrations, drawings and graphics of submarine subsystems and components for all classes of submarines. She now paints full time. She works in all mediums and enjoys the sheer exhilaration of painting such magnificent and powerful subjects. Her artwork is displayed in various contracting offices throughout the submarine community. To see some of Laura Ross's other paintings please visit the artist's own webiste: www.submarinepaintings.com
Donald O'BRIEN I.S.M.P	Don O'Brien was born and grew up in Somerville, north of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. He was born with the insatiable desire to draw and paint and when he was a lad of about fifteen he was tutored by Boston floral artist Ronald Leahy who taught Don how to paint flowers particularly roses with stems on a card of poetry. After one year, Don turned instantly to marine painting after seeing an exhibition of boats and ships at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. He has never looked back. Don has painted every aspect of the seas of the world and when WWII started he became very fascinated with German U-boats particularly, as well as all types of submarines. Don was a four year member of the U.S. Coast Guard and is proud to have served his country. He was an Electronics Technician 2/c. After military service he graduated from Boston University with a degree in fine arts (BA) and has worked in the commercial art profession, as an art director & re-production manager. He has a keen eye for all printing processes, a deep knowledge of 4-color process digital separation, as well as the big presses that print off-set lithography known today as 'prints'. Also advanced technological printing 'Giclee'. Don has painted every aspect of the seas of the world and when WWII started he became fascinated with German U-boats particularly, as well as all types of submarines. He is a long time professional member of the International Society of Marine Painters (ISMP) and also a former member of the Experimental Painting Society of America. He has won his share of Blue Ribbons and many awards and his paintings grace many collections around the world. Don has had his paintings published in the book, 'A Gallery of Marine Art' edited by Jerry MCClish, past president of ISMP, and published by Rockport Publishing of Rockport, MAssachusetts. His work has also been featured in Sea Classics Magazine as well as Sail Magazine.
Geoff SPILMAN	I became interested in military and naval affairs at a young age. After reading Peter Cremer's U333 I began learning more about U-boats and The Battle of the Atlantic and my interest has grown from there. I have drawn on and off for years and recently started painting canvases some of which I've sold. This has encouraged me to learn more about painting and hopefully continue produce works of interest.