It’s been a while.
For those who don’t know, I left my temporary mooring back in November. It was a chance for a fresh start, and my stay there was only supposed to be short term to do some repairs on Maggie.
Little was I to know that just a month later, those little repairs would turn into my biggest project yet.
Yes, I’m talking about Maggie aka Malvern’s complete overhaul and restoration.
Why so drastic, Liz?
What was a previous intention of getting her hull blacked, swiftly turned into a discovery that she would need an entire hull overhaul. The past owner from 2019 revealed a survey from Maggie, a very comprehensive and thorough report that made suggests and gave a quote of what needed to be done to preserve her legacy for the future.
This 2019 quote gave a recommendation, which was estimated to cost between £10k-£15k.
I was glad when I was sitting down when I read the quote, but for some reason, I had been expecting far worse. I had been prepared for Malvern needing some work during my custodianship of her, and had been attempting to save on the side for an upcoming survey, some light welding work and blacking for the oncoming Summer.
And then the reading continued.
For the recommended “fix” to happen, it mean removing Maggie’s fitout, which is the interior.
This would mean that after the steelwork had been done, a complete refit of the interior would have to take place, which at a very tight budget would start at £15k and more than likely be much more at completion.
I can’t lie; the temptation to sell her and give up was high. I talked about it with my friends, my family and the empty shadows of the boat night after night until all I felt was a failure.
I tried calculating how many paintings I would have to create to raise the minimal £30k to get her work done. But I was already burnt out, exhausted and the toll of Winter had already begun to settle in my bones.
But with an existing commission list calling my attention, I tried to push my worries aside until I would have more time and energy to formulate a plan. I needed to work on what was presently in front of me. I needed to focus.
But time continued on and I had fallen into a dark hole of hopelessness. I barely dressed or left the boat, keeping myself to my desk and staring at a wall, willing for the energy to come to lift up a paintbrush.
I was doing sums on my calculator, trying to figure out how much money I would have to save each month just to get to the £30k target by the Summer, when I thought about the option of creating a Fine Art Print.
I had never painted Maggie before. Or even any of my previous boats.
A photograph of her sat in front of me, my favourite image of my first mooring spot in the May of 2022. It had felt like the most surreal and magical time first setting off on her. Of course, I was absolutely terrified at first, and so much went wrong, but as soon as I moored up, there was a sense of excitement for the future and where Maggie would take me with Leela.
I decided to paint that image there and then, pouring all of my heart and soul into that piece. I knew every single line of that boat as I drew my brush across the crisp white paper. Every nuance, shadow and sharp edge.
No one is going to love this boat as you love her, Elizabeth, I told myself. You have to try. You have to.
And so, I created a restoration effort to save Maggie.
To be a custodian of a historic boat means that you are given the privilege to ensure her history lives on. And I really truly do feel as though Maggie has a spirit of her own. She wants to be saved. She wants to be brought back to her former glory. And I am determined to ensure that her future on the canals is a long and happy one.
Maybe I’ve always been a sucker for the underdog. To overcome all odds. That’s how I feel now.
But I really am going to give this project the best go I possibly can.
Each month leading to June, I will be releasing a Fine Art print of Malvern and the Waterways through history. Each one of the 6 designs will have a limited edition run of 200 Fine Art signed prints, available in A4 and A5. In total, I will have need to sell 1100 prints to get to my target.
I don’t know if that’s even possible.
If I can sell 46 prints a week, every week to the month of June, I can preserve Malvern’s history and keep my home.
And I’m determined to work every single hour that I can to make that a reality. Maybe I’m a sadist, because although it is petrifying, I’m also excited for the challenge.
As well as doing these designs and prints, I’m creating other things for the shop as well, such as handpainted bookmarks and I’m still painting commissions.
If I pull this off, I think it will be one of the greatest achievements of my life.
I honestly don’t know if I’ll manage to sell 1100 Fine Art Prints. It may mean I’ll have to think outside of the box, visit craft fairs and try and get them stocked in small shops.
Of all the things I don’t know about this succeeding or not, I only know that I need to try my best.
And that is what I’ll do.
I need to finish this by saying thank you so much for your encouragement and love during this new restoration project. It’s that comfort that has kept me focused on what could go right rather than wrong and kept the dread at bay. I honestly didn’t see myself doing another refit. But here we are.
I’m going to be upfront with all of the costs, the survey and will do a video about the thorough 2019 inspection and my search for a yard to do the job in the Summer. I have a counter on my Instagram page where I update daily on how many prints have sold so far. I promise you, that I will always do my best by Malvern/Maggie.
Let’s do it for the plot, shall we?
If you would like to buy a Malvern Fine Art Print, click the link below!
MALVERN
Malvern, aka “Maggie”, built in 1928 has survived The Great Depression, World War 2 and is now faced with her biggest challenge yet. a full restoration of her hull and interior to preserve her legacy and future. Not only that, Malvern is my home, and as her guardian, it is now up to me to…
All of our love, Elizabeth, Leela and Maggie x x x
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