KENSINGTON PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES A NEW PUBLICATION OF JOHN STOBARTS MARITIME ART COLLECTION Exhibition in Portfolio Form Features 80 Illustrations Paying Homage to Our Nautical Heritage

A new large format book featuring contemporary works by North Americas preeminent maritime artist, John Stobart, has been published as a rich collection of unique, historical-narrative paintings, and is now being offered for sale to the public by MHP Enterprises, Inc., of Boston, MA.

BOSTON, MA, April 4, 2003 -- A new large format book featuring contemporary works by North Americas preeminent maritime artist, John Stobart, has been published as a rich collection of unique, historical-narrative paintings, and is now being offered for sale to the public by MHP Enterprises, Inc., of Boston, MA.

Stobart: The World of Sail and Steam is the third in a series of Stobarts highly collectible, large format exhibitions in book form and contains 80 never-before-published full-page, color reproductions of Stobarts oil paintings. The volume is 240 pages, 12 inches x 15 inches, priced at $150, and features personal commentary by the artist, a complete pictographic biography, and perceptive essays by art historian M. Melissa Wolfe.

John Stobart stands proudly in this continuum of artists," says Peter Neill, President of the South Street Seaport Museum, New York and the International Congress of Maritime Museums. Johns success can be found in his commitment to place, his evocation of historic American harbors and riverfronts. New York, Cleveland, Savannah, and many others large and small-this network of pictures, of course, emulates the network of tranportation and trade that built our nation."

Works contained within Stobart: The World of Sail and Steam reveal engaging historical seascapes and workaday activities that transpired in various coastal venues, inland waterways and open seascapes. Stobart is inspired by thorough visual and written research, meticulous study of legacy photographs and print illustrations, hands-on engineering study, discussions with scholars and historians, and on-location scouting and work.

This engaging new book takes you on a voyage to beautiful ports, inland waterways and the open sea as only the rare beauty of John Stobart's paintings can," says Sandra Heaphy, manager, Maritime Heritage Prints. Stobarts next book signings will take place at Newport Harbor Nautical Museum in Newport Beach, CA, May 3 and 4; and at the Jinishian Gallery, Fairfield, CT, May 17, 2003.

This publication adds yet another treasury of the stunning, evocative images collectors the world over have enjoyed," says Malcolm Henderson, noted art dealer. The publication also includes an essay that offers the reader both a consideration of Stobarts artistic development, as well as a consideration of his work within the long-standing tradition of marine painting. In addition, each color illustration is accompanied by commentary that reveals the particular world presented in the image."

These recent works span the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, in maritime scenes ranging from Stobarts early works in England, to the schooners of Maine and Connecticut, to the war sloops of New Hampshire and Boston, to the sailboats of Nantucket, to the packet ships of New Yorks East River, to the sloops of Baltimore. The readers voyage winds through the midwest and southern states, to the steamers of Detroit, clippers of Baltimore, and shrimpboats of the Southeast-veering south to the tidewaters of Virginia and Georgia, to the reefs of Key Largo, then to the riverboats of Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, and the barges of Louisville. The visual journey continues west to the clippers of British Columbia, vessels of Seattle and Sacramento, to overseas locales including London, Venice, Paris and Bermuda, finally ending with a unique series of luminous on-site seascapes in England and the U.S.

Deemed Americas most celebrated marine artist" by J. Russell Jinishian, well-known authority on maritime art, the prolific Stobart has-over his career spanning five decades-attained a venerable following among maritime collectors, nautical buffs, boating enthusiasts, and military personnel for his classical and realistic portrayal of the great harbors of America during the glory days of sail and industrious days of steam.

Art lovers and maritime enthusiasts alike will be richly rewarded by a study of these vigorous and colorful paintings from the sensitive and creative brush of the great John Stobart," says Oswald Brett, noted Australian maritime artist. They marvelously evoke the character and substance of a vital, spacious age of robust and romantic seafaring. The viewer will experience the gleam of gaslight reflected on wet waterfront cobbles, the texture of ancient brick warehouses, and the wharf sheds of an American waterfront that has disappeared. Now sadly history, it has again been brought to life through the genius of this artist."

Early in his career, the English-born Stobarts research of American marine history and its presence in painting lead to his discovery of his artistic niche. Early Americas artists, drawn to wilderness landscapes or dramatic naval events, rarely depicted the day-to-day activities at the heart of the nations busy harbors and ports.

Stobarts desire is for his paintings to compel us to participate in a bygone world, so different from our own, and yet filled with people whose concerns are surely not so unlike ours," says M. Melissa Wolfe, Associate Curator, Columbus Museum of Art. Stobarts paintings...present to us the visual resolution at the heart of the very best of classicism. Their narrative, their illusionism, and their integrity as paintings are all perfectly balanced...Vessels and ports nearly lost to us are recreated within the world of timeless nature, a world still easily experienced by those sensitive to its presence."

About the Artist
Born in Leicester, England in 1929, John Stobart as a youth enrolled in the Derby College of Arts and Crafts, then in 1950 was accepted to the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts in London, where he began developing his landscape techniques by working on-site in and around the London ports and countryside.

After serving in the Royal Air Force, he visited his father in Rhodesia. On his return trip to England aboard one of the massive steamships that plied Africas coast, he conceived of the idea that would launch his career as an artist. He began to work on commissions from the shipping companies to paint portraits of their great ships in exotic ports. Moving to Canada in 1957, he continued his lucrative commission work.

In 1965, he took a years sabbatical to learn the rigging and structures of merchant sailing craft. Next he ventured to New York City and was offered a solo exhibition by Kennedy Galleries. Within three weeks of its opening in 1967 the entire show had sold. From this extraordinary start, Stobart soon established himself as an artist preeminent among marine painters.

Today, Stobart continues to travel widely, researching and painting American and European ports as they were in the great era of sail and steam. Created from his passion for the past, his mastery of the most articulate of technical skills, and his natural sensitivity to the nuances of nature, these works have garnered a reputation among collectors and connoisseurs the world over for their stunning evocations of the world of the sea. Seven Stobart galleries and 100 dealers located throughout the U.S. offer the artists books, paintings and limited edition prints.

About Kensington Publishing and MHP Enterprises
Kensington Publishing is a division of MHP Enterprises, Inc., a company established in 1976 with the vision of publishing limited-edition prints of John Stobarts works-many of which had disappeared into private collections throughout the United States-so maritime connoisseurs the world over could enjoy his historical paintings. The first large format book of his works titled Stobart: The Rediscovery of Americas Maritime Heritage, was published in 1985, and in 1991 American Maritime Paintings of John Stobart was released. MHP Enterprises, Inc. and Kensington Publishing are located at Townhouse No. 23, Union Wharf, Boston, MA 02109, phone 800.989.3513, Fax: 617.227.3899. For more information see www.stobart.com or e-mail mhpent@aol.com.