This is one of my recent paintings -- a river voyage. Or perhaps a river drift - I've left off oars OR a sail. Perhaps this dapper bird can use his wings as a sail. He could adjust them at will.
River Voyage
8x8"
Watercolor & Ink
Available on Etsy
I am currently listening to the audio book of The Worst Voyage in the World
by Apsley Cherry-Gerrard, which is the story of Terra Nova Expedition of 1910. This was one of Robert Falcon Scott's attempt to reach the South Pole.
It certainly has a bit of the Victorian pluck - particularly given how the expedition ended-- The narrator, one of the survivors, seems to take everything in robust stride - "The dogs are trying to eat the ponies? Jolly good." etc.
It also amuses me just what they considered necessities on such a voyage -- real silver cutlery, a phonograph, hot cocoa (ok, I agree with them that one.) Shackleton, on his earlier expedition, brought among other things 252 pounds of honey, several oil paintings, and just about every variety of tinned fruit you could imagine. Though I suppose that was practical for preventing scurvy. They brought tea of course, Lipton (odd choice?) though there is no record how much tea they brought. They brought at least 2 teapots.
Another thing that amuses me is that it seems that the polar explorers of that era thought nothing of abandoning food in camps (where it would later be found at eaten by another party, who cares if it sat open for months or years? It's in a giant icebox.) Having been that careless about food, they still took the time to stop and bury any dogs who died, with cairns and one supposes full military honors.
I clearly do not have what it takes to be an arctic explorer..
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