Bahamas, Sailing and Wallpaper

As some of you know, we have just returned from a month on a racing trimaran named Triad sailing around the Bahamas. The trimaran was designed by Dick Newick and it’s owner and our captain was Tom Robinson-Cox. We went for an adventure but my ulterior motive was to collect images for our ever-growing library of patterns and textures, not to mention Lena’s murals. Every time we would reach some uninhabited island, I would take the dingy ashore to see what shells or other interesting things I could find to photograph and every time Tom caught a fish, he is quite a predator, I would rush for my camera. The color of the water is impossible and the skies were incredible.

I don’t want to bore you with a lot of blah blah about our trip but I do want to show you the images I have processed so far and tell you what can be done with the resulting giclée wallpapers. I think this should be called the biophilia collection, a term coined by E.O.Wilson to describe man's need to connect with nature. Thanks for reminding me of that, Mark.

This detail of a pattern created from a photograph of the gill scales on a Mackerel. Each of these detail images represents an 11 x 8.5 inch piece of wallpaper. 

The reproduction size of these patterns varies enormously,  all our wallpapers are completely custom and made to order. The circle below, which represents the pattern from the detail above, can be printed larger than 6 feet. You can choose the repeat size and request color adjustment to fit your decor. You can even ask me to create something just for you, I relish the challenge.

Here is the pattern created by the Mackerel scales from a distance. It has a Moroccan feel to it. Note the difference in color and intensity between the pattern above and the circle - they are the same paper with different color / contrast adjustments.

This Pattern is from a paper we call the Margate Tartan (BA1071)

 Detail from the Margate Scales, this paper looks like a fine pencil drawing.

This paper can be printed in various color ways and styles. Here I used some of the darker scales, which resulted in a stripe.

And in this version I changed the color way and added even more to the stripe.

These stripes are also created from a Mackerel. The side of a Mackerel has a stripe down it and the scales are quite lovely. With she added repetition it takes on the characteristics of a slightly iridescent textile. The repeat on this is 26" x 12.5", making the big stripe 8" and the small one 5"

Stripe detail

This contemporary version of a Gothic cathedral ceiling is created from the fin of a Margate (BA1086), yet it makes one think of the celestial soaring of the great cathedral ceilings. This paper would be right at home in the visually stunning book, "Heavenly Vaults, From Romanesque to Gothic in European Architecture" by David Stephenson, published by Princeton Architectural Press.

 Skt. Mary's Church - Poland, 1292-1500

Amiens Cathedral - France, 1269

Up close on the Celestial Margate (BA1086) wallpaper, you can see the scales through the translucent fin and bubbles, giving it a confection like appearance .

I have not processed this photo yet to see if it will make an interesting wallpaper but there are so many I need to get to.

I did not expect to make a pattern with this photo of Sea Biscuits but Lena loved it so much, I went ahead. It could be layered like I did with the Sea Urchin wallpaper (from an earlier post). The Sea Urchin was sent to me by a friend in Maine last year. She collected it on the beach of North Haven Island & wondered if I could do anything with it. YESSSS!

These Urchins can be 24" across on your wall!

The Sea Biscuit was still dirty from sitting on the beach, which Lena thought added character to it.

A detail of some interesting coral I found on a sand bar at Hogsty Reef, a coral atoll which rises from 6000 foot waters

The pattern

And finally the impossible blue of the sea in the Bahamas. I am in the process of creating a seamless wall of water. Stay tuned for that.

In the next post I have some "modern art" wallpapers. Thanks for your interest, Doug