An Artist Who Sails: In Conversation with Stella Marina

On board of Eda Frandsen. Photo courtesy of Stella Marina

Stella Marina’s subtle wash drawings and aquatints evoke a meditative beauty, energised by the solitude of the shifting seascapes. The sea is where she finds inspiration, even the place that she can call home. The sea is where she has found herself, naturally gravitating around adventure, yet being in harmony with nature and with herself. An attitude, a belief that is as much outlandish and visionary as it is respectful of time, history and being. The sea seems to impart an understanding of the meaning of life that most cultures have long forgotten in people’s constant quest for comfort and the ease of life. Maybe life should not be easy. Maybe life should not be about comfort. It is in seafarers that we, as humans, have always found the greatest stories of discovery and self-discovery, for surviving and heading forth in hard times, trying to find new roots.

Creativity comes from living. And being at sea opens up new worlds, not just in the obvious, literal way, but in a true and creative way. Stella Marina’s photographs, of a restorative beauty and brimming with the most freeing simplicity of expression, are a moving homage to the sea and to the profound and boundless relationship formed between artist and the sea. Stella’s own journey carries the salted scent of water, her dreams floating according to the rhythm of nature, heart and eye placed together along the ever shifting, infinite backdrop of the sea.

In our interview, Stella and I talk about braving a decade of pure freedom, artistic inspirations, about building something solid and lasting her own way, and life at sea on board Eda Frandsen, a beautiful traditional 1938 gaff cutter, converted to a strong and capable sailing ship, perfectly suited to a life of adventure under sail.

From the top: Portrait of Stella by Tor Harrison | On board of Eda Frandsen. Photos courtesy of Stella Marina

When I first wrote to you, you were on passage in the Irish Sea. Where were you heading?

When we first spoke in October, I was sailing South from Scotland, down the Irish Sea. It was a beautiful passage as we invited 7 of our friends to join us. Being at sea with people you love is one of the best feelings in the world.

My partner Mungo and I split our time between Scotland in the summer and the South West of England, Cornwall, in the winter.

You are an artist and a mariner. Which came first, art or the sea?

I studied Illustration, Printmaking and Film at Camberwell School of Art in London, graduating in 2012 amidst a sea of student protests against the increase in tuition fees. I was terrible at living in a city and decided that I desperately needed to go out and rediscover the things that fuel me. Going to work on a sailing boat seemed to be a great way of doing so. I strongly believe that if you are an artist you will always be one, whether you like it or not. Sailing and the sea are my work and my office. My time at sea has taught me so much about myself, the world, and people in general. I feel incredibly lucky to get to do this for a living, but I think of myself as an artist who sails at the moment.

When did you learn to sail?

I have a memory of being pushed out in a little red wooden sailing dinghy when I was around 6.

Stella Marina drawing

I think so many of us have felt at one moment or another the urge for a big change in our lives, or the need for more freedom. What was the driving force that made you make that step? Determination, courage, idealism?

A little idealism, a little realism, a pinch of desperation perhaps. In 2012, I was 22 years old, I was reading a lot about climate, global emissions, food and water shortages, trying to figure out what I could do with my life that would at best not have a negative impact on the planet. It was necessary to be very honest with myself about the life I hoped to be living in 20 or 30 years and I worked backwards from there. Of course, it is not possible to plan everything, but I had certain parameters to work with. I wanted to be outdoors, not at a desk, I wanted to travel, I wanted to have adventures and meet new people, and I didn’t want to sell people things they didn’t need. It meant essentially turning my back on being perceived as creative, and the friends I had made at University and starting from scratch. I wouldn’t describe it as an easy or ideal route to take. But now I am beginning to find more time to make work for myself, paintings, drawings etc, and I have a lot of material to work from. Ultimately there came a time in my mid 20’s when I had to say to myself, “You made the decisions at the time because they felt like the right ones, you can’t question that or change it now so you just have to ride it out and be thankful”.

Your photos express a visible form of happiness and freedom. What does the sea mean to you?

Thank you, I appreciate that. One of the reasons I embarked on this career and, in particular, taking people on sailing voyages, was because I wanted to share the joy of sailing and being at sea. So often seafaring is depicted as a very masculine, tough and dangerous thing to do, but it really doesn’t have to be that way. With the right mindset and knowledge, being at sea can be the most beautiful experience. It teaches you the power of friendship, community and communication, it teaches you how to be both resilient and soft. You will be shown the power and strength of nature and learn how to navigate through all that life throws at you. It will show you the edges of your strength and how to push past them and make you appreciate the simplest of pleasures.

At sea, I am the best version of myself, but, ultimately, being at sea has taught me how to live better on the land.

The eXXpedition voyage. Dinner on deck. Photo courtesy of Stella Marina

Did you ever feel a certain voyage or time at sea as a rite of passage for you?

In 2014 I crossed the Pacific Ocean from Mexico to the Marquesas in French Polynesia with a cruising family. It was formative to say the least! Then, in 2015, I joined an all-women’s sailing research voyage from Brazil to Guyana with a group called eXXpedition. We were researching plastic pollution and the impact of Persistent Organic Pollutants on women’s health. We were 14 women on a 72 ft sailing boat for 22 days. I had joined as an artist and sailor, but that voyage encouraged me to commit further to sailing as a career. I took my Yachtmaster exam and dove into the world of full-time travelling & sailing as a way of life.

Have things changed since your 2015 eXXpedition journey, or in the last decade since you set out for a life at sea? How have you personally experienced the impact of humans and human activity on the sea? Are you feeling hopeful or less optimistic?

The first thing that springs to mind is that the number of people who are aware of the impact of plastic pollution on the planet and of the effects of persistent organic pollutants on our health has risen dramatically. When I began my journey with eXXpedition this was certainly not the case, and, for that, I am very grateful and proud of the work they have done. I am also buoyed by examples of ecosystems around the world which have restored themselves when allowed to do so, and the rate at which they manage to recover. My optimism lies in the knowledge that nature has incredible healing solutions and in itself is very resilient. I believe that should the planet be granted the chance, it would heal.

On the other hand, we continue to see the impact and destruction caused by Humans across the globe. We are living in an Anthropocene age, where, particularly in the United Kingdom, it is hard to imagine how the landscape would have looked without Human intervention. There are a distinct lack of sea mammals, sea birds and fish compared to historical records, a rapidly growing number of fish farms, and the seawater quality, particularly in the South of England is truly appalling. We are also seeing an increase in very extreme weather, extreme wind strengths and storm conditions.

When it comes to climate, I am not an optimist or a pessimist, I am simply realistic. I have little faith that the majority of the governing bodies of the world have the foresight or strength of character to implement significant change at the rate at which it is required. I believe that local communities will need to work together more to help and support each other, to reinstate a level of self-sufficiency.

Mid-Atlantic. Photo courtesy of Stella Marina

Tell us a little about Eda Frandsen, the boat and the voyages.

Eda Frandsen is a traditional Danish Hajkutter; she was built in 1938 to fish for Cod in the North Sea. In the 1990’s, she was saved from demolition by a family who brought her to the West Coast of Scotland to start a sailing charter business, and she has been doing so ever since. My partner and I bought the boat and business 3 years ago and have continued in much the same way that she always has. We offer 6 & 9-night voyages exploring the islands on the West Coast of Scotland from April to October, it’s a remote area of incredible natural beauty with abundant wildlife and fascinating history. I have sailed to some beautiful places in the world, but I can honestly say that there is nowhere yet that I have found to beat the completely raw elegance of Scotland.

Can one ever feel at home at sea?

Yes, I believe so, I believe I do.

It’s not for everyone, but those who fall for it fall hard and fast for the rest of their lives. Being out on the water, in balance with your circadian rhythm, away from all that the modern world demands of you is very addictive. It is a different kind of living, of feeling at home and I do think it is important to spend time living on the land as well. Ultimately, we are land creatures, and I feel that being afloat tests your nervous system in a way that should probably not be a permanent state. I suppose one could question it in terms of how well you sleep, I sleep very well onboard Eda Frandsen, and many people also tell me they do too. But it is a different kind of sleep to sleeping on the land, that deeply restorative sleep of a comfy bed in a thick-walled cottage while a storm rages in the distance should not be overlooked!

The eXXpedition voyage. Essequibo River Guyanan. Photo courtesy of Stella Marina

How much time do you spend on land throughout a year? And what is the thing you look forward to the most every time you return to the land, besides a good night’s, deeply restorative sleep?

Nowadays I spend 6 months at sea and 6 months on land. The thing I look forward to the most is having time to reflect on the summer that has passed and laying good foundations for the one that is to come. My winters are like a hibernation, it is all about restoring myself, my relationships, my body and working on the boat so that we can be the best versions of ourselves when the time comes. The sailing season is very intense, we more or less work for 6 months without any days off, the only way it is possible to do this is by really leaning into resting in the dark winter. I like it, for me at the moment it’s a good way to live.

It truly sounds like a good way to live. It feels so incredibly liberating and good for one’s soul and being. To be exactly where you want to be. That’s what it’s all about after all. As an artist who sails, are you inspired by any seafarer writers and adventurers in particular?

The first wave of inspiration for me came from artists I came across in galleries, people like Simon Starling, Tacita Dean, Ben Rivers and Bas Jan Ader. Artists who have looked to adventurers or alternative ways of living for inspiration. It was through them that I discovered Donald Crowhurst, Joshua Slocum and Thor Heyerdahl. The story that struck the deepest chord was that of Bernard Moitessier and his wife Françoise Moitessier de Cazalet. I used to dream of turning their books into a film. Their stories can teach the world so much not just about how to navigate at sea but about how to navigate life, fear, relationships and the future.

South Pacific palms. Photo courtesy of Stella Marina

I am glad you brought up filmmaking, because I was feeling I had to ask you a question about making a film at this point in our conversation. Are you still considering the idea of a film or documentary about life at sea?

Well, that is a good question, I have quite a lot on my plate at the moment… That said, it was through the transformative nature of cinema that I came to this life. There are very few good films about sailing or life at sea, and I considered that in order to make one, it would be very important to be fully knowledgeable about sailing and the sea. There is nothing worse than a director who makes a movie about something that they do not have sufficient knowledge of. I feel that now, after 10 years at sea, I am finally clutching at the skirts of having enough of that knowledge. So, in short, yes, one day I would love to make a great film about sailing, life at sea, kinship, solitude and navigating all that the world throws at you. I still feel that it would be a good film for the world to see.

Which are those influential films you are referring to?

There is a short film by Maya Deren called At Land that I absolutely love. I am interested in the ways that cinematic mediation alters and shapes our perception of what is real or possible. Then there is also Ben River’s Two Years at See (2011) which is an incredibly beautiful and poignant study of solitude and rural living.

Small Isles. Photo courtesy of Stella Marina

What are your plans for the winter?

I have a few projects I am working on. I take a small studio space in the winter and spend as much time there as possible. We have quite a short jobs list on the boat, but that varies year on year. Owning a wooden sailing boat is a fairly full-time job, there are always projects to be getting on with, painting, varnishing etc. It is just my partner and I that run the business, so I also do a lot of the office work in the winter so that in the summer when I am at sea the process is as smooth as possible. When I am with our guests in the summertime, sailing and cooking, I want to be as present as possible rather than needing to spend time on the computer.

Is there anything your guests are surprised to find on the boat, regarding the cooking experience or any other aspect of life at sea?

I think they are probably surprised by how quickly they get used to it, by how little stuff you actually need and how well they sleep in the relatively small bunks. It’s true that the food does play a big part in the whole experience, some people have said they do just come back for the food.

In this time and age, what do you wish people appreciated more?

It is going to sound terribly cliche, but I wish more people appreciated the moment they are in, rather than always pushing for the next thing. Of course planning, hope and excitement are all great things. But appreciating what you have, in this moment, and that once it has passed you cannot go back to it, anything else will be a repetition. Maybe I am wrong, but, in general, I feel that maybe not many people truly appreciate that. Oh, and rain, I really appreciate fresh, clean rainwater.

Thank you, Stella, for this wonderful talk and for your life lessons.

stella-marina.co.uk | eda-frandsen.co.uk