A Cork artist is selling her work to help fund an Irish sailor’s epic round-the-world trip
The adventure begins in August.
Later this summer, Peter Lawless will be leaving Kilrush, Co. Clare, to attempt to become the first Irish person to sail solo, non-stop, unassisted around the world via the five great capes of the Southern Ocean.
Here in Cork, a local artist will track each leg of the journey with interest, using Peter’s experience to inspire a series of paintings, the first of which is now on sale to help fund the huge costs of the mammoth trip.
Ringaskiddy-based contemporary artist Siobhan Fleming will spend approximately eight to ten months from the departure date working on “And That Is Why We Go”, a collection inspired by the words of Bernard Moitessier, one of the original solo non-stop circumnavigators.
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“Perhaps it was because we were still in a strict lockdown and this person was setting off well outside his 5km? Perhaps it was that living directly on Cork Harbour for over 14 years now has made me more attuned to sailing and shipping? Whatever the reason, I was inspired to try to capture this amazing adventure in paint.” said Siobhan.
“I contacted Peter, and he graciously agreed for me to be “artist not in residence” on his journey. Throughout the trip, I will be painting in response to Peter’s experiences that he will be sharing with us throughout.”
An experienced yacht master, Peter is also skilled in Celestial Navigation – this means that he will be using a sextant and paper charts as his primary navigation tools to plot his course on the route.
The first piece, also named And That Is Why We Go will be on display in the window of Perry Street Market in Ringaskiddy from this weekend before it goes to the lucky winner of a fundraising draw on Peter’s website (details here). There will also be two 25cm x 30cm giclée prints as runner-up prizes.
“All of these will be signed by both Peter and I before the departure date, as a record of his attempt to make Irish sailing history,” said Siobhan.
Prints will be available for sale at siobhanfleming.com next week, with 50% of the proceeds going to Peter’s fundraising.
