Hull Marina visit.

12 x 10 inch plein air oil on canvas.

It has been a very long time since I have been to Hull Marina by car. At one time parking was easy. I headed for the old British Rail ferry terminal and was pleasantly surprised to see that parking spaces were available. Three hours, so plenty of time to explore. I took George all the way around the Marina,  looking at the wonderful, varied collection of craft. The old Humber Lighthouse ship was still there and looked in good condition. Modern yachts and old sailing barges vied for places alongside each other. I decided to seek more commercial shipping and headed for the nearby Albert Dock. We crossed a very old wooden lockgate path and found ourselves at the foot of the path which leads over the roofs of the dock buildings. It is rather unusual. I knew of it's existence in the past and was surprised that it was still there. So up we went and onto the high level path with panoramic views of the Humber and the city of Hull, and indeed of distant hills.
heading back we crossed another lockgate, a modern one which I thought would be safer. It was for me but I realised George was being very tentative. I think it must have been the metal grill which was uncomfortable for him to walk on, though it may have been the fact that he could see through the mesh which was unsettling.
Back to the car, now just under two hours left to park, I left George and headed back to paint. I set up at a quiet spot and blanked in the buildings and sky. People came over and chatted. Hull is such a friendly place. Then a BBC reporter came and asked me about what I thought of Hull. He was a trainee, I gathered, and was from out of town. He seemed to want me to be negative about Hull, which is so predictable. So I put him right and suggested he should visit some of the interesting areas. Then I packed up and accidentally splashed him as I was cleaning my brushes.
How did that happen.
I have not detailed the painting as much as I would like as I was fighting the clock. Nevertheless I like it. I think I will do more ship / boat paintings though maybe try pen and ink or perhaps watercolour.