The travelling artist
Part 4 Murray Ince completes his series with a look at an old boat in an Italian harbour
Part 4 Murray Ince paints an old ship in an Italian harbour
In September 2017 I led a painting holiday in Altamura in the Puglia region of Italy and visited some stunning locations, including Aberabello, famous for its round Trulli houses; Polignano a Mare with its tiny little beach in a gorge; and Matera, the oldest continuously inhabited town in the world with its dwellings built into the bedrock. They are all beautiful in their own way, but one of my favourite places, however, was the coastal town of Trani, which has a harbourside cathedral. It was also fascinating for the way in which it was beautifully modernised and catered for the tourists whilst maintaining its identity as a working fishing harbour.
Boats of all sizes would come into the harbour after returning from fishing trips on the glorious blue Adriatic Sea. They would moor up at the quayside, unload their catches straight onto wheeled barrows and start selling. There were also luxury yachts moored in the harbour, but on both occasions when I visited Trani there was a large fishing boat that was so full of holes and covered in rust that I had to question how it remained floating there, especially as it had been in the same place the year before.
Although the harbour had many more seaworthy vessels moored, I was drawn to this old wreck like a magnet. I photographed and sketched it (below), knowing that I would one day just have to paint it. So, I share with you here my step-by-step creation of The Old Girl of the Adriatic.