Year of the Boat is a project by figurative artist Rob Pointon, as he travels the UK Canal Network living aboard a narrowboat.
I firmly believe in producing artwork on location, entirely from direct observation. Working on the spot gives added energy, experience and a more accurate atmosphere to the pieces. It also gives a passing audience the opportunity to engage with, and discuss with the artist, the process of producing a painted work of art.
A mobile living and studio accommodation is ideally suited to this approach, especially because wherever you wake, you are surrounded by water. The depiction of water is a puzzle that has long challenged artists and one I shall be tackling head-on in this project.
It was always my father's retirement dream to own a narrowboat, unfortunately that wasn't to be. It was something I had never even considered but has turned out to be perfect for my work and this stage in life.
