Open edition with printed signature. Paper size 297 x 420 mm. Image size 250 x 380 mm
This painting was commissioned by one of the Dunure fisherman who owned these magnificent varnished boats ‘Huntress’ and ‘Crystal Sea’ which were built by Nobles of Girvan. The background is the village of Dunure where I spent my childhood days with The Croft on the north side (left) and Southcliff to the south.
The fishing industry on the west coast of Scotland was thriving during the late 1960s and early 1970s but with so many boats decommissioned it is nothing like it used to be. Boats fished individually for herring with ‘ring’ nets or in pairs with ‘seine’ nets. The ring net method involved the boat dropping a buoy into the water which was attached to a curtain-like net with corks at the top and lead weights at the bottom. The boat then circled the shoal of herring until it reached the buoy whereupon the net was pulled back in bringing the herring with it.
The boats could also be set up to trawl for prawns and bottom feeding fish. This basically involved towing a large net ‘bag’ along the sea bed, weighted at the bottom and with floats at the top to keep it open. It also had ‘wings’ at either side with angled steel ‘doors’ which kept the net open and directed the fish into the net.
The village of Dunure has one of the most picturesque harbours on the south west coast of Scotland but, because of the demise of the fishing industry, the fishing boats in the harbour are long gone. Apart from one or two lobster boats the harbour is now occupied by a number of leisure craft.
