(British, b. 1924) The study of ships' rigs is in itself a time-consuming and patient task. For instance, Roy Cross was an artist who specializes in 19th century-type pictures has traveled as far south as Barcelona and as far north as Gothenburg to observe and record the enormous and fascinating variety of rigs. To undertake one or two painting commissions, he may also have to travel extensively in the USA to get details of a particular ship from the maritime museums and to visit historic ports to observe the lighting, the sea and the sky conditions which were much the same as when the ship was in those harbors. In addition, this artist has built up his own considerable library of books, photographs, plans and cuttings. If he paints a specific 19th century ship in harbor, all the other shipping must be accurately contemporary to it; if the scene is set in 1850 it is no use having an 1880 steel ship near an 1850 wooden schooner. (There are some artists painting 19th century-type pictures who do not study and prepare their material as intensively as described here. As they are painting ships they have never seen for a public that has not seen them either, there are in circulation quite a lot of marine pictures of this type which are technically inaccurate or have other historic defeats.)

Roy Cross is one of the most dynamic and precisely accurate marine artist of this century, both historically accurate marine artists of this century, both historically and in detail. The head of the draftsman and the heart of the seafarer are allied in this artist.

Born in the dockland of London, England, Roy first became known as an aviation artist and author during World War II. Finding this field financially lucrative yet creatively stagnant, he returned to the shipping scenes of the London docks, where in his youth he first sketched the beauty and the power of numerous trading vessels. To this he added an accurate technical and emotional understanding of the sailing ship.

On the first occasion of his showing in the annual exhibition of the Royal Society of Marine Artist, Roy was accorded the unique distinction of being elected by his peers to full membership of the Society. This remarkably talent is taking Roy into the highest echelons of the genre of historical marine painting.

With acceptance of his work, Roy Cross succeeded in permanently establishing himself as one of the foremost marine artists of the 20th Century. The detailed rigging of the ships, plus the crispness and clarity inherent in all aspects of his work, enable him to enjoy the support of the market and the collector.

MEMBERSHIPS:

Royal Society of Marine Artist