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Christopher Blossom
When a child has a father and grandfather who are both well known illustrators, it is likely the offspring will also become an artist. And when a boy starts to sail at the age of six, it is also likely that the artist might choose the sea and sailing ships as his subject. Such was the case for Christopher Blossom, who, by the time he left the Parsons School of Design and Robert Bourke’s Design Studio, could visualize a finished boat from only its plans—and draw the craft from any angle.
Before Blossom was twenty, he had sailed under square rig aboard the brigantine Young America. Known for his complex, detailed compositions of ships at sea, Blossom combines his appreciation for the beauty and the menace of the sea with his love of maritime history and ship construction. Before Blossom paints a vessel, he is likely to study the ship’s blueprint to learn about it hull design, length, tonnage and deck layout. Blossom’s historically accurate ships and harbors are combined with color, light and composition to capture the mood of a voyage and convey the essence of the seafaring experience.
At the age of twenty, he won a Gold Medal at the Society of Illustrators Scholarship Exhibition. His dual vocation of experiencing the sea and then painting both nautical history and some of the greatest modern places to sail, was truly launched. Blossom became both a charter member and an artist of the American Society of Marine Artists, serving as its president from 1983 to 1986. His awards include a Gold Medal from the National Academy of Western Art for his painting of ships in Monterey. Saluted as an undisputed master, Blossom has exhibited his art at the Gilcrease Museum, the Colorado Museum of History, the prestigious Prix de West Invitational and the Artists of America show. Blossom continues to achieve artistic honors including the Robert Lougheed Memorial Award at the 2001 Prix de West.
Almost the only time he isn’t painting is when he is sailing, visiting ports of call in Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, the Bahamas, California and Washington state. Blossom, who recently spent a year sailing around the Caribbean with his wife and two sons says of his love, "It’s not a hobby, it’s a way of life. When I look at the ocean, I get the same feeling pilots must get when they look to the sky."
"Windward" Christopher Blossom S/N Limited Edition Print
This is Echo Bay, off the island of Sucia, near Washington's Roche Harbor. It is late afternoon and you're coming into an anchorage. Although this is not a well-known yachting center, it is a picturesque little harbor and the image captures a feeling that many sailors will recognize - the feeling of satisfaction you get from making a successful passage through open waters to a safe and serene harbor.
The boat is a Valiant 40 - Valiant being the make of the yacht and 40 being the size-forty feet long. It's a craft designed primarily for cruising - it's referred to as a passage-maker as opposed to one that's designed for racing around buoys in protected waters. This 28" by 15-1/4" Image Size, Limited Edition Print, edition size 950, is signed by the artist.
All Limited Edition prints are signed and numbered (S/N) by the artist. Limited Edition prints are restricted to a certain number. For example, if 400 prints are made from an original painting, once they’re gone, that’s it. There is no limit to the number of open edition prints of a particular painting. That’s why Limited Edition prints are more expensive — and more valuable to collectors — than "open" edition. Rare objects are more valuable.
When a child has a father and grandfather who are both well known illustrators, it is likely the offspring will also become an artist. And when a boy starts to sail at the age of six, it is also likely that the artist might choose the sea and sailing ships as his subject. Such was the case for Christopher Blossom, who, by the time he left the Parsons School of Design and Robert Bourke’s Design Studio, could visualize a finished boat from only its plans—and draw the craft from any angle.
Before Blossom was twenty, he had sailed under square rig aboard the brigantine Young America. Known for his complex, detailed compositions of ships at sea, Blossom combines his appreciation for the beauty and the menace of the sea with his love of maritime history and ship construction. Before Blossom paints a vessel, he is likely to study the ship’s blueprint to learn about it hull design, length, tonnage and deck layout. Blossom’s historically accurate ships and harbors are combined with color, light and composition to capture the mood of a voyage and convey the essence of the seafaring experience.
At the age of twenty, he won a Gold Medal at the Society of Illustrators Scholarship Exhibition. His dual vocation of experiencing the sea and then painting both nautical history and some of the greatest modern places to sail, was truly launched. Blossom became both a charter member and an artist of the American Society of Marine Artists, serving as its president from 1983 to 1986. His awards include a Gold Medal from the National Academy of Western Art for his painting of ships in Monterey. Saluted as an undisputed master, Blossom has exhibited his art at the Gilcrease Museum, the Colorado Museum of History, the prestigious Prix de West Invitational and the Artists of America show. Blossom continues to achieve artistic honors including the Robert Lougheed Memorial Award at the 2001 Prix de West.
Almost the only time he isn’t painting is when he is sailing, visiting ports of call in Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, the Bahamas, California and Washington state. Blossom, who recently spent a year sailing around the Caribbean with his wife and two sons says of his love, "It’s not a hobby, it’s a way of life. When I look at the ocean, I get the same feeling pilots must get when they look to the sky."
"Windward" Christopher Blossom S/N Limited Edition Print
This 28" by 15-1/4" Image Size, Limited Edition Print, edition size 950, is signed by the artist.
All Limited Edition prints are signed and numbered (S/N) by the artist. Limited Edition prints are restricted to a certain number. For example, if 400 prints are made from an original painting, once they’re gone, that’s it. There is no limit to the number of open edition prints of a particular painting. That’s why Limited Edition prints are more expensive — and more valuable to collectors — than "open" edition. Rare objects are more valuable.
The term "giclee" denotes an elevation in printmaking technology. Images are generated from high resolution digital scans and printed with archival quality inks onto various substrates including canvas, fine art, and photo-base paper. The giclee printing process provides better color accuracy than other means of reproduction. The quality of the giclee print rivals traditional silver-halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
Authorized Greenwich Workshop Dealer
Authorized Greenwich Workshop Dealer
