Shackleton Centenary Expedition
Drew Webster is a talented artist and teacher based in Norwich.
Some of his fine-art practice is inspired by Polar exploration in general, and by Shackleton's adventures in particular. Naturally we're thrilled to find this kind of thing, having stumbled across his work entirely by chance on the Universal Eye that is Flickr
Below are a couple of 1908-inspired images from his personal collection. Drew has also been kind enough to let us use his drawings here and there on this site. Don't forget to pay him a visit soon.
Nimrod
©Drew Webster 2006
Drew writes:
"I can not really recall where my interest in the Antarctic began; it did not start with childhood where most of these kinds of narratives would have been keenly read. I suppose it has been a more recent discovery linked with my art work and its connection to the sea. The sea has for a long time been a recurrent theme within my visual and written work, this has a lot to do with my family's history and personal mythology.
My grandfather was a fisherman who was called up for active duty sweeping mines during World War Two, the stories recounted to me by my father (himself having been a merchant seaman) have instilled in me a sense of pride and respect for those who peril so to speak, my ingrained draw to the sea is a cerebral one, one that has been translated into my work.
I think that polar exploration and in particular Antarctic exploration is an extension of this passion, it holds a fascination for me because of the aesthetic and abstract nature of the landscape. The beauty, isolation and otherness of this vast continent allow the creative mind limitless conjecture.
The Ascent of Erebus
©Drew Webster 2006
I suppose from my own aesthetic and intellectual point of view the Antarctic is an almost perfect world, untouched, uninhabitable and uncharted, it has the potential for an endless narrative deriving from the poetic, romantic and brutal environment to the human tales of physical and emotional endurance.
On another level I am also drawn to the physical ephemera of this type of exploration, the aesthetics of the clothing, scientific equipment, vessels and even the tobacco pipes help inspire my image making."
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Sir Ernest Shackleton is widely known as one of the most inspirational leaders of the twentieth century. The Shackleton Foundation is a new charitable trust.
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The Shackleton Centenary Expedition, c/o The Lansdowne Club, 9 Fitzmaurice Place, London W1J 5JD
"Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all." - EHS 1909
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