Derek Gardner (painter)
Derek Gardner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Derek George Montague Gardner 13 February 1914 |
| Died | 11 February 2007 (aged 92) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Oundle School |
| Style | Painting |
Derek George Montague Gardner (13 February 1914 – 11 February 2007) was an
Early life
Gardner was born in Buckinghamshire. His father was a civil engineer who worked for the Great Central Railway in the docks at Grimsby and became chief engineer of the Port of Glasgow in 1928, and Gardner developed a love of ships.
He was educated at
Second World War
Gardner was called up in August 1939, shortly after the
He joined
He joined the destroyer
He was awarded the
Post-war career
Gardner joined the Colonial Service after the war, serving in Kenya from 1951. He met his wife, Mary, at a dance in Mombasa. He then worked as an engineer in west Kenya, living in Kisumu beside Lake Victoria, before moving to Nakuru, where he painted oils, watercolours and pastels of local scenes, such as flamingos on a nearby soda lake.
He caught tick typhus, and became deaf in both ears. He returned to England with his family in 1963, and retired to Dorset. He turned to painting maritime subjects. His detailed paintings found a ready market, and he held several exhibitions in London. He is best known for his paintings of warships from the Napoleonic Wars, and paintings of clippers from later in the 19th century.
An exhibition of his work at Messum's gallery in Mayfair in October 2005, the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar, included paintings of every ship in which Nelson had served. A book of the paintings, Nelson's Ships: A Trafalgar Tribute.
He was a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and also a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists.
He was survived by his wife, and their son and daughter.
References
- Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 12 February 2007
- Obituary, The Times, 22 February 2007
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