Monday, May 8, 2017

'From Hell's Heart I Stab at Thee...' 19th Century Whaleboat


Not much going on around here these days. Too busy outdoors enjoying the spring weather. Nonetheless, I did join the Lead Painters' League again this year to be aggravated, er, humiliated, um, inspired into getting a few projects done.

For last week's 'Ship's Crew' theme I finished off this whaleboat vignette that I've had sitting in the wings for years.


This is a Eureka Miniatures set, and a lovely little kit it is too. It took a bit of google-foo to figure out the assembly of the boat, but that was no real bother. 

The other bonus was that it 'forced' me to revisit John Huston's Moby Dick (1956). Now, don't get me wrong, the more recent remakes, with Jack Aranson, Patrick Stewart and William Hurt are all fine and good, but I tell you, Gregory Peck's performance remains the reference standard in my heart. 



I fondly remember seeing it as a wee boy at my grandparents farm. I was so captivated with the film that my grandma made me a little harpoon (from a broomstick, with a few feet of baler twine as line) and my grandpa piled some white gravel with a tractor to serve as the leviathan's hump. I spent many happy hours that summer hunting The Great White Whale under the prairie sun.

'...For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee...' 

Epic stuff.

Next up: More Landsknechts!

For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/hermanmelv390294.htm
For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/hermanmelv390294.html

35 comments:

  1. The Gregory Peck version is my fav too. I loved visiting the whaling town of New Bedford in Massachusetts where Herman Melville got his inspiration, including the old church with its (not quite authentic) ship shaped pulpit.

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    1. Ah, a man after my own heart. Though I must say I also really enjoyed 'In the Heart of the Sea', even though it did not do that well in the theaters.

      I'd love to see that old church in New Bedford.

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    2. I told my family that if I get hit by an IED and loose a leg, they should pre-order a whale jaw bone prosthetic immediately. I did tell them after I got home from deployment, so they wouldn't dwell on it though :-)

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    3. Excellent. I am totally sympathetic to your macabre sense of humour. :)

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  2. I have only ever seen the Gregory Peck movie and none of the more recent ones. More to the point however: the vignette is a lovely piece of work, specially love the watereffects on the side of the boat ;-)

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  3. Well, slap me around a bit with a wet fish and call me Ishmael! Great work on the boat and crew Curt :)

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  4. Very nicely done. It looks so incredibly really. Love the water effect.

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    1. Cheers John, it was a lump of textured white metal that came with the boat that I just drybrushed up with green, blue and white.

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  5. A lovely vignette, Curt, evocative of the Melville novel at a fraction of the weight!
    ; )

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    1. Ha! Yes, you could get a good workout doing curls with that book.

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  6. Great work dude. Good to see the "inspiration" working well - excellent to get something cleared from the table which has been sitting so long.

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    1. Thanks Greg! Yes, it was wonderful to get it off the books.

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  7. I am relieved somewhat that you didn't spend the summer imitating the cannibal Queequeg!Great work.

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    1. Hmm, there ARE some pesky local millennials that would BBQ up quite nicely...

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  8. Lovely work, nice and nautical, looking forward to landsknechts though!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks Ian! BTW, as a reminder, you should send me that Italian Wars cavalryman for me to paint up for you as part of our Challenge Duel.

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    2. I'm just finishing up the basing on mine and Phils Curtgeld, so if it's alright with you I'll send them all together.
      Best Iain

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    3. Brilliant! I look forward to seeing them.

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  9. What a thing of beauty Curt! Absolutely stunning Sir.

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  10. Very cool indeed mate. Not something you see every day of the week!

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    1. Yes, it's a unique piece which is why I picked it up. Absolutely no gaming use but fun to work on.

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  11. Excellent painting and great interpretation of the "crew" theme! Of course you got my vote ;-)

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  12. That's a little beauty ....

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  13. Lovely work, nice and nautical, looking forward to landsknechts though!


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Thanks for your comment! As long as you're not a spam droid I'll have it up on the blog soon. :)