Steady As She Goes: Collier Row marine artist to showcase paintings of ships at Havering Museum

Marine artist Robert Bryan with some of his work (Image: Archant)

Robert Bryan, 67, of Havering Road started his career young.

He told the Recorder: “As a child I was always drawing pictures. I was lucky enough to get a job straight from school.

“Back then it was quite a medieval way of doing things. You worked under an artist and learnt their techniques.

“I was manager of a studio and then ended up owning my own studio for about 14 years in Clerkenwell.”

Rob works in acrylic and is inspired by the artist and former president of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, Geoff Hunt.

“He’s a modern marine artist. He’s technically correct and [his work] is just superb.

“He paints all sorts of historical and modern ships.”

Rob’s work will be displayed along with other several other artists from the Old Royal Naval College Art in their exhibition, Steady As She Goes.

As a marine artist, Robert paints ships in the historical setting they would have sailed.

“Each painting takes me about six months because there’s a lot of research that goes into it,” he said.

“For most of the boats, especially the sailing ones, I always build a model first, so it’s not just guess work.

“The water is the hard part.”

For one of his paintings of a ship off the coast of Leigh-on-Sea, Robert was inspired by ship drawing on a plaque in The Mayflower pub in the High Street.

The Collier Row artist said: “I began with researching the plaque which is what took time.

“The painting is of Leigh-on-Sea before the railway came. It’s set around 1640 – 1660.

“It’s a lovely little village.”

Another painting is of the Cutty Sark which is now stationed in Greenwich.

“I pass by it at least once a week and I thought maybe it’s finally time I painted it,” said Robert.

“At the moment it’s my favourite painting.”

Residents can visit Steady As She Goes until March 16 at Havering Museum in Romford’s High Street.