Bespoke Maritime Art
Works · Commissions · Corporate
A framed oil painting hanging above a stone fireplace in a room with olive green paneled walls. The painting depicts a historical multi-masted sailing ship navigating choppy, textured blue waters, with green coastal mountains and a cloudy blue sky in the background.
Historic Shipping

From 18th-century ships of the line to 20th-century naval power. Archival research meets traditional oils, capturing the defining vessels of maritime history for the private collector.

Explore the Gallery
A large framed oil painting illuminated by a picture light in a modern corporate boardroom with dark blue walls. The artwork features a realistic depiction of a large white and blue ferry sailing beneath a bridge, captured in warm, golden sunlight.
Corporate & Naval

Naming ceremonies, corporate retirements, fleet milestones — prestigious commercial assets for occasions that demand more than a photograph.

Explore Corporate Commissions
"A master of depicting many types and eras of shipping"
Marine Artists Gallery
A framed oil painting mounted above a beige sofa and flanked by wooden bookshelves in a nautical-themed room. The painting shows a sailing boat racing under a dynamic, cloud-filled sky, with smaller boats visible in the distance
Yachts & Sailing

The yacht you sail today, or a vessel from your family's past. A deeply personal maritime history, rendered in traditional oils to become a lasting heirloom.

Explore Private Commissions

Selected Works

Commission a Painting
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Period

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Fig I. Admiralty Draught

Private Commissions

An 18th-century frigate cutting through the swell, a captain's final command to mark their retirement, or the yacht you sail today.

Whatever the subject, a commission is an opportunity to have that scene made real — whether for your own wall, or as a lasting gift.

Explore the commission process
An oil painting of HMB Endeavour navigating through deep blue, choppy ocean waters beneath a soft, cloudy sky.
Fig II. The Completed Work

Research and Consultation

We begin with a conversation. The subject itself, but also the mood — morning light or evening, calm water or a working sea. If you are working toward a specific date, such as a retirement or a milestone birthday, this is also when we establish the timeline.

Begin the Journey
A collection of historical reference materials for a painting commission, featuring the book 'James Cook: The Journals' alongside an open book showing detailed line drawings of a ship's rigging.
Step One

From Plans to Canvas

Whether we are drawing upon your own time at sea, photographs of your yacht, or diving into archives to accurately capture an 18th-century flagship, these references shape everything that follows.

Next: A Client's Perspective
A preliminary pencil sketch on textured paper of Endeavour, showing the artist's initial planning for the composition, waves, and cloudy sky.
From a Client
"Very straightforward process with an outstanding result"
— Private commission of a WWII naval vessel, delivered to Switzerland Next: Colour Sketch
A close-up of the artist's canvas, showing a fine-tipped paintbrush with a red handle adding delicate white paint to the ship's rigging, highlighting the rich texture of the oil paint.
Step Two

Colour Sketch

Translating research into practice, I prepare a colour sketch for you. This establishes the viewpoint, the light, the sea state, and the placement of any accompanying vessels.

Changes are straightforward at this stage. Once you are completely satisfied, this sketch becomes the blueprint for the finished work.

Next: Evolution
Step Three

Evolution

The painting develops over several weeks, built up in traditional oils in layers of increasing detail. I share progress images at key stages, allowing you to follow the work as it develops and suggest changes. There is a unique satisfaction in watching your piece emerge from what began as conversation and reference material.

Stage 1 — Starting the painting Stage 2 — Blocking in the sky Stage 3 — The hull takes shape Stage 4 — Establishing the sea Stage 5 — Developing the sea Stage 6 — Building detail Stage 7 — the finished painting
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Starting the painting
1 / 7

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Next: Delivery
The completed private commission oil painting of HMB Endeavour, beautifully displayed in an ornate gold frame and illuminated by a brass picture light against a dark teal wall.
Step Four

Delivery

The completed painting is professionally framed, chosen to complement both the work and its final destination. Delivery is fully insured and carefully handled, ensuring the piece reaches you safely, whether within the UK or internationally. After the research, the sketches, and the steady work at the easel, this is the moment it arrives at the wall it was made for.

Commission pricing is transparent and all-inclusive.

Collector's Piece £1,750
14" × 20" · Oil on canvas
Flagship £3,500
20" × 30" · Oil on canvas

Every commission includes consultation, research, compositional approval, bespoke framing, and insured shipping internationally. A 50% deposit secures the commission, with the balance due on completion.

For custom formats or specific requirements, please get in touch.

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About the Artist · Get in Touch
A large, framed oil painting of a white and blue commercial ferry named 'Celandine' sailing beneath the QE2 bridge. The artwork hangs on elegant dark wood-paneled walls in a corporate office, next to a window overlooking a river, with a pair of binoculars resting on the sill.

Corporate Commissions

A naming ceremony. A retirement after thirty years at sea. A fleet milestone.

These moments deserve more than a photograph. A commissioned painting carries the weight and permanence the occasion demands — and with full reproduction rights included as standard, it becomes not just decoration, but a commercial asset.

Visit Corporate Site

The Asset

Uncompromising Accuracy

Built from your General Arrangement drawings, specific liveries, and builder's photography. It is an exact, technically rigorous record of your vessel, rendered in traditional oils.

Boardroom Presence

A statement piece carrying the gravitas required for a corporate headquarters, a wardroom, or the ultimate handover gift for a retiring director.

Perpetual Commercial Rights

Full reproduction rights are included as standard. You receive 600 DPI high-resolution files, ready for immediate use in limited edition prints, client gifting, merchandise, or corporate marketing.

See the Process
A wide, highly detailed pencil sketch of a fleet of modern industrial and research vessels navigating the ocean. The sketch illustrates the complex compositional planning phase for a large-scale corporate commission.

The Process

A seamless workflow designed to require minimal time from your team. Whether working from your supplied references or independent research, you retain complete compositional approval before painting begins.

Commissions are typically delivered within 8–12 weeks and can be timed to naming ceremonies, corporate retirements, or fleet milestones.

01 Enquiry Tell me what you have in mind — the vessel, the occasion, the intended setting. No brief required.
02 Research I source plans and references, or work from materials you provide. Your team's input is welcome.
03 Sketch Viewpoint, sea state, lighting — agreed before painting begins.
04 Approval Revisions at this stage on any element so that you're happy to proceed.
05 Painting Typically 6–8 weeks. You'll see key stages as they happen.
06 Delivery Framed, scanned, insured, delivered with high-resolution files.
A framed oil painting of a Galeon 800 Fly modern luxury motor yacht cruising through choppy waters under a warm, cloudy golden sky. The painting is illuminated by a brass picture light and displayed on rich wood-paneled walls in an upscale hallway.

Precision Before Paint

Nothing is committed to canvas until you are entirely satisfied with the composition. A preparatory colour sketch establishes the vessel's angle, the sea state, and the lighting for your review — ensuring absolute certainty in the final piece before the oil painting begins.

A Client's Perspective
"I am pleased with the painting and impressed with the professional way you approached the task, with a desire to get it just right."

Start the Conversation

Whether you are commissioning a statement piece for the boardroom, a flagship marketing asset, or a retirement gift, I would welcome the conversation. You can reach out directly below with your initial thoughts, or explore the dedicated Corporate site — a focused portfolio designed to easily share the process, commercial rights, and details with your wider team or board.

gregory@marinepaintings.art +44 (0) 7916 066 226
Visit Corporate Site Start a Conversation
Pricing
Signature £1,750
14" × 20" · Oil on board
Flagship £3,500
20" × 30" · Oil on canvas
Every Commission Includes

Consultation · Research · Compositional Approval · Progress Updates · 600 DPI Scanning · Bespoke Framing · Insured International Delivery

Bespoke sizes quoted on request

The artist Gregory Smith standing on the teak deck of a Princess S80 luxury motor yacht, holding up a framed oil painting of that same vessel depicted cruising along a mountainous coastline.

About the Artist

Gregory Smith is a British marine artist working in traditional oils, specialising in both historical and contemporary maritime subjects. His practice is rooted in primary-source research. From Admiralty draughts and ship’s logbooks to models and period photography, this archival groundwork ensures that every canvas is as technically faithful as it is atmospheric.

His paintings have been exhibited with the Royal Society of Marine Artists and Marine Artists Gallery, and are held in private collections internationally. During the 2023 Ocean Globe Race in Southampton, his work was acquired by renowned offshore sailors including Tracy Edwards and Marco Trombetti.

Working from his studio in Southampton, his current focus is a continuing series dedicated to exploration vessels — capturing not just the architecture of the ships themselves, but the dramatic, untamed environments they sailed.

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International Reach

Works held in collections across ten countries.

United Kingdom United States Netherlands Switzerland Germany Italy Norway Sweden Finland South Africa

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Selected Exhibitions

Royal Society of Marine Artists Annual
Mall Galleries, London · 2025
Afloat or Ashore Competition
Custom's House, Exeter · 2025
A Painted Ship upon a Painted Ocean
Chelsea, London · 2024
See All Exhibitions

Awards & Recognition

RSMA New Generation Award
Royal Society of Marine Artists
Art Marine Prize
RSMA's Afloat or Ashore Competition
The Pioneer Award
GAvA Annual 2025
See All Awards

Dispatches from the Studio

New work, exhibitions, and updates.

Oil painting of the three-masted clipper ship Titania sailing on bright blue choppy seas. The black hull cuts through the water under partially set white square sails, set against a bright sky with scattered fluffy clouds.
New Work

The composite clipper Titania out at sea

Based on the full model in the National Maritime Museum, Titania (1866) is shown out at sea as refitted. The house flag of Shaw, Lowther and Maxton flies on the mainmast. Click here to read more

A framed oil painting of a fleet of historical sailing ships silhouetted against a warm, hazy golden sky, hanging on display on a gallery wall at the Royal Society of Marine Artists' annual exhibition 2025.
Recent Exhibition

Mall Galleries, 2025

Two works selected for the Royal Society of Marine Artists annual exhibition.

Oil painting of the historic grey battleship HMS Dreadnought in 1907, viewed from a dynamic angle as she crashes through rough, white-capped waves. Thick dark smoke billows from her twin funnels against a bright, cloudy sky.
Delivery

HMS Dreadnought

An 18" × 24" vessel portrait delivered to a private collector in Italy. Sale negotiated through Marine Artists' gallery.

"
The painting arrived, and it's georgeous. I will contact you again in some years with my next boat.
Private Collector Norway
A close-up of a person's hand adjusting a gold-framed oil painting on a dark wood-paneled wall. The artwork, illuminated by a picture light, depicts a historical multi-masted sailing ship navigating choppy blue waters with green mountains in the distance.

Every Painting Begins
with a Conversation

Whether you have a specific vessel in mind, a moment from maritime history you’d like captured, or simply the beginnings of an idea — I would welcome hearing from you. There is no obligation and no formality required. Send a brief note with what you have in mind, and we will take it from there.

gregory@marinepaintings.art +44 (0) 7916 066 226

Common Questions

Can you paint modern commercial vessels, or only historic ships?

Both. Modern working vessels — tankers, ferries, and offshore fleets—are as much a part of my practice as Age of Sail subjects and private yachts. The archival research may differ, but the dedication to technical accuracy and atmosphere remains exactly the same.

What do you need from me to start?

Simply an email describing what you have in mind, and I will guide you through the rest. Formal briefs are never necessary—a conversation is always the best starting point.

I don't have detailed plans or photographs — is that a problem?

Not at all. Archival research is a core part of the commission. Depending on the vessel, I can source Admiralty draughts, builder’s records, General Arrangement plans, or period photography through maritime archives and industry contacts.

How long does a commission take?

Typically 8–12 weeks from the approval of the compositional sketch to final delivery. Larger canvases or highly complex scenes may require more time, but a guaranteed timeline is always established before work begins.

Can the painting be delivered in time for a specific event?

Yes. Commissions are frequently timed to mark retirements, milestone birthdays, naming ceremonies, or fleet anniversaries. If you are working toward a fixed date, simply let me know from the outset so we can ensure the timeline is secured.

Start a conversation — I'll respond personally within a working day.

Make an Enquiry

Whether about an available painting, a commission, or a corporate project — I'll respond personally, usually within one working day.

gregory@marinepaintings.art +44 (0) 7916 066 226