Private Commission - Celandine
The RoRo ship Celandine is shown on a morning departure, passing under the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge with the industrial shoreline of Purfleet visible in the background. The calm, pale water and soft early light give the scene a quietness that moderates the scale of the vessel and the infrastructure around her — a working ship in a working river, captured in the brief interval before the day's traffic fills the waterway.
Celandine operated on short-sea RoRo routes, carrying freight trailers between UK and continental ports — the kind of unglamorous but essential commercial shipping that keeps supply chains moving. This commission was composed from reference photography to record a specific vessel at a specific point on the Thames that held personal significance for the client. The QE II Bridge provides both a geographic landmark and a strong compositional element, framing the ship in the scene.
The research the painting was built on
For this painting, I drew largely on reference photography of Celandine provided by the client. Other online sources like tracking sites also provided some photographic libraries of the vessel throughout its career. The background was constructed by reference to Google Maps and photography of the bridge and its surroundings.
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