Ann Dawson

Nine Weeks at Sea (September 6th – November 9th 1620)

Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas Board, 30cm X 30 cm

What must it have been like to spend nine weeks crossing the Atlantic ocean, often in extremely poor weather, in 1620? Conditions on board the Mayflower must have been very cramped and uncomfortable. Where would one turn to for a sense of space, peace and hope? The western horizon, particularly as the sun set, may have offered some solace. This piece of work exhibits nine 10 X 10 cm paintings of imagined horizons, one for every week of the journey. They have been placed tightly together, as indeed the passengers themselves must have been, to form a finished piece of artwork on board.