The size of this original painting is 39 x 53 inches, so it is a fair-sized work. It was commissioned by one of my regular clients, a yachtsman from near Stockholm, Sweden

The "Dunter III" had a painful birth. The shipyard building her went bankrupt with only the hull completed. This was transported to Shetland, but the local firm, chosen to complete the task, also went bottom up! A management buy-out of this firm ensued, and the "Dunter III" was eventually completed, somewhat behind schedule, in 2002. This seascape, in oils, features the boat at the cliffs at Noss. Commissioned by Roy Longmuir as a 60th birthday present for his brother Alan.

Built 1919 in Glasgow, for the Admiralty as the trawler "William Gillett", renamed "Adastra", bought by William and James C Johnston of Edinburgh, renamed "Doreen Johnston" registered in Granton (GN27). Bought 1952 by Aberdeen owners, renamed "George R Wood", converted to diesel power in 1958, and losing her tall smokestack in the conversion. Sold 1970 to English owners a1970, ; given her last name of "Netherley"; scrapped 1971. Shown during her steam-powered days, off Sumburgh Head

The seine-netter "Dougals" rolls towards her home port of Eyemouth, her crew gutting on deck as she approaches. At 31 tons nett, and built of wood in 1940 at Macduff, she was the first of two boats to bear that name for the same partnership. The owner of the painting lives in Cumbria

The "Daisy Bank" of Gamrie was built at Banff in 1911, and had a long life at the herring fishing, including service for the admiralty in two world wars. This finally came to an end when she sank, off the Butt of Lewis in August 1949, after a collision with the drifter J T Henry. The painting was commissioned by the grand-daughter of George Mutch, one of the regular crew-members

The smart seine-netter "Chrysolite" was built in the late 1940s for James Wood of Buckie and Alan J Wood of Banff. She is depicted approaching Lerwick harbour, with the Bressay Lighthouse in the background. This seascape oil painting on canvas is 24 x 18 inches in size, and was commissioned by Derek Wood of Buckie

This commission was by way of a memento mori for a well-loved family pet, whose owners live in the Aberdeen area. It makes a change from landscapes and seascapes!

The ocean-going container ship "Glasgow Maersk" ploughs through an Atlantic swell. She was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries at Ulsan, Korea in 1999, is 50,696 grt and is owned by A P Moller Maersk, which has to be one of the world's largest shipping companies. It was commissioned by Angela Mouat, of Nesting, Shetland, whose son is one of the ship's engineers. It is 24 x 18 inches in size, painted in oils on hardboard

I am still not yet sure of the exact location of Le Bourg d'Oisans, beyond the fact that it is in the French Alps, not too far from the more famous winter sports locations such as Albertville and Val d'Isere, and that the nearest big town is Grenoble. It was also the adopted home of one of the sisters of my late brother-in-law, and it was he and my sister who commissioned this work, by way of an anniversary present, a few years ago. The landscape, in oils on hardboard, measures 24 x 18 inches

This beautiful ship is the "Alexandr Pushkin", built by the Mathias-Thesen Werft at Wismar, Germany in 1965. At 22,080 grt, she was operated by the Baltic Shipping Co., Leningrad until 1991, when she was brought to London to be operated by Orient Lines and renamed "Marco Polo", under which name she is still cruising. The seascape oil painting was commissioned by Jeremy Chapple of Bristol. It is painted on hardboard, and measures 24 x 18 inches

This is one of the strangest, not to mention trickiest, commissions I've ever undertaken, and it took about three months to work out and execute. It was a presentation to an elderly Shetland seaman, and I had to include several of the elements of his long and varied seafaring career. There were several local fishing vessels, a Salvesens Antarctic whalecatcher, a general workboat, a Shetland model sailing boat, and a barge involved in the building of the jetties at the Sullom Voe oil terminal.

The Whalsay pelagic trawler "Research" heads out past Ness of Sound in pursuit of the mackerel shoals