Cayman’s rich seafaring heritage has been a touchstone of sorts for artist Scott Sullivan.
The noted American painter has deep ties to the islands, capturing its maritime heritage – along with its people and landscapes – in vibrant paintings that include the historic Fair Weather schooner.
FAIR WEATHER PROJECT
“As an avid sailor, I appreciate the maritime heritage of the islands and of the people,” he says. “When I read about the Fair Weather project, and its goal of rebuilding the schooner, I reached out to see if there was any interest in me donating some paintings.
“So, using photographs and my imagination, I taught myself how to paint schooners, trying to imagine the Fair Weather back home in Cayman.”
Scott has donated more than 20 paintings to the Fair Weather Foundation, with all proceeds of sales going towards the non-profit’s efforts to restore the schooner and bring it home.
Launched in 1950, the 72-foot vessel is recognised as the last Caymanian-built wooden sailing schooner still afloat, a tangible link to the island’s past.
It is currently in Gloucestershire, England, undergoing final refurbishments, with plans to bring the ship back to Grand Cayman in late 2025, in celebration of the vessel’s 75th birthday.
Through the project, Scott connected with other artists on-island, along with families who were involved in the shipbuilding industry in days gone by.
This included Paul Deegan, co-founder of the Fair Weather Foundation, and Sir John Jenkinson, son of Sir Anthony Jenkinson, who commissioned the yacht in 1947.
Schooners are a powerful symbol of local heritage, once used for turtling and transporting people and cargo.
When the Fair Weather returns home, it will serve as an educational tool to revitalise interest in Cayman’s seafaring and shipbuilding past.
Scott’s paintings are a way of preserving and celebrating that history.
“I enjoy painting with a focus and a purpose,” he says. “This project has inspired me to push myself farther than I thought I was capable.”
ISLAND CONNECTIONS
Hailing from Indiana, Scott and his wife Lisa have been visiting Cayman since 1986, staying in East End.
“Even though we don’t reside on the island, we feel the island has become a part of us,” says Scott. “I’ve always been drawn to the ocean, the electric colours of the ocean, the older homes and cottages. I enjoy exploring the island and finding the bits and pieces of old Cayman.”
Scott is a plein air painter – French for ‘open air’ – eschewing the walls of a studio to paint outdoors.
Painting en plein air allows artists to capture the changing light and atmosphere of a scene in real-time, creating expressive and immediate works of art.
“I was drawn to the immediacy of plein-air painting,” he says. “It requires observation and careful editing to simplify what is before you. You don’t really have time to overthink. You have to react as the sun moves, and things change quickly.”
NOSTALGIC FEEL
A nostalgic feel runs through Scott’s oil paintings – from thatch roofed cottages perched by the sea, schooners and catboats cutting through breezy waters and locals relaxing on a sandy beach under the shade of a grape tree.
Trained as an architectural draftsman, Scott began painting in 1991 and now also teaches plein air classes.
He has an affinity with the Cape Ann painting style, a tradition of art that emerged around the turn of the 20th century in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, which is characterised by plein air paintings that depict everyday life and landscapes.
Scott studied with renowned New England painter Don Stone. “He taught me to see the abstract shapes and to avoid over painting,” he says. “Keeping things simple allows the viewer to get involved.”
ISLAND INSPIRATION
Travel is another muse for the artist.
“I am constantly travelling, looking for inspiration,” he says. “I’ve especially enjoyed painting Grand Cayman and getting to know other artists and how they express themselves. I hope to convey not just technical abilities in my work but how I feel about what I paint – the emotions of it.”
Scott has painted such iconic landmarks as Miss Lassie’s house in South Sound and Mr. Arthur’s shop on the waterfront, with his breezy but measured brush strokes capturing the essence of time and place.
He sets up his easel outdoors whenever a subject or scene intrigues him.
That includes Cemetery Beach in West Bay, a scene he has painted twice and intends to work on a third rendition the next time he is on-island.
“I am fascinated by the juxtaposition of a cemetery and a beach next to each other,” he says.
Scott is keen to capture the venerable Fair Weather schooner when it returns to Cayman’s shores – this time not from photographs but in person.
“I look forward to being able to paint the Fair Weather en plein air in the future,” he says. “When she is finally home, there will be even more interest in the shipbuilding heritage that has been lost.”
