Gail McGarva

Blue Route

I am a builder of boats, teller of stories, keeper of memories. My work as a traditional wooden boatbuilder and artist celebrates the skeletal sculptural forms of boats.
All boats have a story to tell held in the bones of their being. I am passionate about sharing these stories and breathing new life into the craft

Behind the Scenes
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About My Practice

In my practice over the last twenty years, I have paid homage to traditional boats in danger of extinction through the creation of ‘daughterboats’ breathing life into a new generation of the craft.
All boats have a story to tell. I am passionate about sharing these stories and celebrating their journey from tree to sea.

Tools & Materials

I work with larch, elm and oak shaping and persuading the timber on its journey from tree to sea. With chisels, planes and copper rivets combined with the art of steam bending, I coax the wood into skeletal sculptural forms destined for the waves.