Tony Grove

Inspiration struck when stumbling across an old boat tucked away in an unused boat shed. Sunlight streamed through cracks in its siding, highlighting the dust in the air while casting streams of light and shadows over the worn wood and peeling paint of this sleeping beauty. Who built it, why was it built? How has necessity defined its shape and function? 

As a boatbuilder and as a career, I have chosen to preserve old wooden boats. I’m fascinated by their historic value, an intrigue that draws me into a careful study of their build and design. Many of the boat images I create come from the inspiration of working on the vessels themselves, or of the historic role they played in the past. 

Intrigued by the myriad of hulls shapes, styles and construction, I find true beauty, and then joy of artistic license, by using light and colour to capture the essence of the boats in my paintings.