Shane Couch
(b. 1963, England)
As the official artist to the "Classic Yacht Experience" and the "International Schooner Association" Shane's work specializes in paintings that depict the great Racing Schooners and J-Class Yachts both past and present.
Since childhood Shane has had a fascination with classic racing schooners and the majestic J-Class. They have been the inspiration behind his artistic journey. As a self-taught artist Shane has developed the skills best suited to capture these beautiful yachts. He works in oils, a medium he has found to both suit his personality and best represent both the detail and power of these unique yachts. His paintings are inspired by his time sailing in the Solent, participating in the various classic yacht regattas around the Mediterranean and his time spent aboard these beautiful yachts kept in such beautiful condition by their owners, Captains and crew. Shane was born in Lancashire and worked for 15 years in the Aircraft industry. During this time Shane taught himself to paint with a focus on marine subjects. In 1995 his love of yachts drew him south to Cowes, the historic home of yachting on the Isle of Wight, where he has since worked as a professional Marine Artist.
In 1997 Shane was commissioned by the marine historian Dr Kristin Lammerting to produce a number of paintings for her book on the Kaisers 5 Meteors.
In 2001 Shane had a 1 man exhibition with the Paul Mason Gallery in Cowes as part of the Americas Cup Jubilee Celebrations where he was lucky to meet so many of the great people connected with the History of the Americas Cup and Elizabeth Meyer the savour of the J-Class. Over the following years Shane produced a number of paintings inspired by his time with the J-Class both in the Solent/Falmouth and the Mediterranean where in 2013 he witnessed 5 J class Yachts on the start line together. Many of these paintings are now owned by various people connected with the J Class themselves.
Since then Shane’s work has been used to illustrate a number of books and Magazines including Bill Koch’s monumental work “The Art of the Americas Cup.”
In 2018 Shane was invited to join the Alden Schooner Puritan at Cannes Royales Regatta where he was lucky to witness the formation of the International Schooner Association ISA. He will never forget seeing 10 classic schooners together many he has been lucky to sail on. In 2019 he was invited by The ISA to provide a series of paintings to be shown at the Capri Classica, the historic inaugural regatta of the ISA where he was given the great honour of being the Official Artist to the ISA and the Classic Yacht Experience.
His painting of 'PURITAN After the Jibe' later went on to win the Mystic Seaport International Marine Art Exhibition “Certificate of Excellence for Yachting”, an award Shane is hugely proud of. Shane's paintings draw on his engineering background, many of his historical works are based on 3d models built on his computer from original lines plans and inspired by original race reports. With the current rebirth of Schooner Racing in the Mediterranean he now spends a lot of his time racing onboard todays classic racing schooners and in recording the history these beautiful yachts are making.
The focus of Shane's work centres on light and movement. He hopes to show these yachts in all their beauty, power and splendor.