Wooden Ships & Iron Men: The Maritime Art of Thomas Hoyne

by Reese Palley, Marilyn Arnold Palley
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Editorial Reviews

Tom Hoyne was a successful artist in advertising when, in mid-life, he was diagnosed with cancer and given two years to live. Confounding his physicians, Hoyne lived for seventeen years, during which he produced some of the most dramatic paintings of America's maritime past. This beautiful volume is the first full presentation of Hoyne's work. More than 100 paintings are reproduced here, almost all of which portray the beauty of the fishing schooners and the terrors and hardships on the waters of the notoriously inhospitable Grand Banks.

In addition to reproductions of his paintings, this book deals with the artist's life and techniques. It discusses the fishing schooners and their legendary designers. It also describes life and work on the most dangerous fishing grounds in the world with fascinating recollections of the great skippers of the fishing communities around Gloucester, Massachusetts, and the small villages that lined the East Coast.

This book, along with traveling exhibition of Hoyne's paintings which begins at The Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia will confirm the artist's place as a master of marine realism. 100 color illustrations.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful, 2007-12-03
by S. Hill (California)
I bought this book for my Dad, who is a water-colorist. He paints tall ships and other types of ships. He thought the book was beautiful.
Superb Balance, 2007-11-25
by Jonathan Margolis (Brookline, MA USA)
Hoyne balanced the technical and artistic aspects of his subjects in a wonderful way. In doing so, he crossed the boundary between illustration and art that so often confounds marine painters, and while he may not escape the character of a genre artist, he is clearly at the upper end of the spectrum.

The text is informative and well-written. (For sailors, in particular, it will be chilling to see how many of the vessels that Hoyne painted had short lives and sad endings.) Hoynes' description of his methods, quoted at length, provide valuable insight into the work and the artist.
Down to the Sea in Ships, 2007-09-09
by Glen W. Seymour (Simi Valley, CA USA)
It's so fulfilling to find the complete history behind the preeminent artist life story. The sea and the fishermen [dorymen] who lived that lifestyle are certainly represented in the highest by this artist. It seems that God Almighty allowed this man the extra years necessary to express his great love for the sea and the men who go down to the sea in ships. Wonderfully, completely illustrated!
age of sail and art, 2007-02-11
by Walter Mandolini (Rome, Italy UE)
Very very beautiful.
I am more and more satisfied
for the amazon's books that I purchase.
Wooden Ships and Iron Men, 2006-01-15
by Richard Bernhardt (New Bern, NC)
I began by admiring one of Thomas Hoyne's paintings and decided to find out more about him. This book is a very comprehensive and beautiful presentation of his work as well as an excellent mini-biography of the man and his background.
My wife and I enjoy picking the book up at a quiet moment and studying one of the works illustrated to look for all the fine details which Thomas Hoyne is noted for.