"ALCEON" Swedish 38 - Commission Piece

In November of 2024 I was asked to paint this Swedish 38' Sloop. This was to be a Christmas gift for this client. A painting for a good friend who has, for years treasured sailing his boat, "ALCEON" through the waters of Puget Sound and British Columbia, Canada. Below is are photos of the progress. Enjoy!

"ALCEON" Original Watercolor - 18" x 18"

First, as commission pieces typically go, I was provided a few photos for reference which were helpful in understanding the design of the boat and the final composition.

As always I did further research and found several more photos of a Swedish 38 including a technical line drawing showing the boat layout, sail plan and other distinctive features.

The client wanted to dramatic background for the scene , similar to a painting I had previously done of the Wenatchee Ferry, crossing the sound with the Olympic Mountains. Using photo shop, I was able to create a "proof" to confirm the proposed composition of "ALCEON" and the majestic Olympic Mountains as the back drop.

Here is the original Wenatchee Ferry painting (Left) and the "Proof" composition of "ALCEON" (Right).

Critical to this piece was the Spinnaker, most importantly, the " Crest" that is proudly displayed, as well as the nylon fabric, the sail configuration and the sun light glistening off the sail.

The "Crest" is the crest used for the Scottish "Kennedy" Clan, and is a Dolphin.(Dolphin Naiant, Proper)

I carefully rebuilt the "Crest" using the photos provided and carefully transcribed the crest to the painting and using liquid masking fluid, masked off the white area. The spinnaker was then painted in using a combination of Phthalo and Ultra-Marine Blue. Once the color was laid down, I peeled of the liquid masking and outlined the crest with black.

Here are some close ups of "ALCEON" and the background shore line.

And the Finished Piece. A pleasure to paint, and everyone was very happy!

Thank you!