The View from a Porthole Window

Come with us on a high sea adventure and discover why Jack loved to paint the sea. He lived with his uncle George and grandparents as a young boy in Sligo. After breakfast, they would go down to the harbour to watch the ships come in and out of the bay. He saw so many colourful characters there, especially sailors and merchants on the dock. All kinds of boxes  and trunks would come in on the ships and it was exciting for him to think what might be in them.

At The Model you can come in and see his paintings of the sea and the people he loved to paint, especially pirates. A special trunk is in the gallery too! This trunk is over 100 years old and would have been used at the time to store linen and clothes. Jack B Yeats re-used it to store his model boats. He painted watercolour drawings of pirates which he stuck on the inside of the lid. Come in and take a look for yourself! Can you guess how many boats he would have stored in the trunk? Where do you store special things belonging to you?

Jack’s favourite characters to paint were pirates because of their wonderful and mischievous adventures, which he dreamed about at night. Can you imagine being a pirate on a ship? You would get to sleep in little cabins below deck and instead of a square window, you would have a round porthole to look out of.

The President, purchased for The Model by a private collector at Sotheby’s Auction On view for the first time in the Salt Water Ballads exhibition at The Model 2021- 2022

The President, purchased for The Model by a private collector at Sotheby’s Auction.
On view for the first time in the Salt Water Ballads exhibition at The Model 2021- 2022

Activity

You are going to draw or paint your own view from a porthole window. This view is special because it can be anything you want. Imagine you are a pirate or a sailor at sea. What type of adventure would you go on and what would you see from the porthole window, below deck.

Would it be an island in the distance with lots of treasure? Another ship sailing along beside you or a lighthouse helping you find your way to shore?

Remember to set the scene, what is the weather like? Is it a calm sunny day with birds in the sky or is it a stormy night at sea? If it is stormy with giant waves you might only be able to see underwater from the porthole. What would you see?

You can draw your own porthole or use the printable stencil below and fill it in by drawing or painting the view.

Once you have finished your drawing hang it up on the wall. If you like, you can create a collection of your very own View from a Porthole Window drawings by making lots of different scenes that create a story. You could do one for every day of the pirate’s adventure.

Ask a parent or guardian to take a picture of your work and share it with us.
Don’t forget to sign it with your name and age.

We will post your artwork on our website and Instagram account

@modelsligo / #themodelinsideout

More Activities You Might Like

  • Make your Own Ship in a Bottle
  • Make Your Own Sea Themed Comic Strip
  • Make Your Own Pirate Map
  • The View from a Porthole Window
  • Make Your Own Pirate Flag
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