Some things stay with you quietly for years, waiting for the right moment. The classic pond yacht was one of those things for me. I admired them from a distance for decades, knowing one day I would own one, but also knowing that some dreams require patience. Nearly thirty years passed before I finally acquired the real thing, complete with a self-steering system. By then, it felt less like a purchase and more like a reunion with an idea I had been carrying since childhood.
“Shimmer” brings together two long-standing fascinations: mid-century architecture and pond yachts. At first glance, they might seem unrelated, but both share a design honesty. In the 1950s, form followed function with confidence. Clean lines, generous glass, flat roofs and an optimism about leisure and light shaped the architecture of the time. Pond yachts were built with the same clarity of purpose. Every curve of the hull, every angle of the sail, existed for a reason. Nothing was decorative without also being useful.
The yacht in Shimmer sits calmly on water that is anything but still. The surface catches the light and fractures it, creating that familiar dance of reflections that can hold your attention longer than you expect. This shimmering water is as much the subject as the boat itself. It slows time. It asks you to look, not glance. As children, we could spend entire afternoons watching these small vessels glide across ponds, seemingly alive, guided by wind, balance and skill rather than motors or noise.
There is a quiet magic in watching a pond yacht sail: no remote control, no batteries, no hurry. Once launched, it belongs to the water and the wind. The self-steering system is a marvel of simplicity, proof that ingenuity does not need complexity. Builders of these yachts were true craftsmen. They understood timber, fabric, balance and patience. Sadly, both the sight of these boats on ponds and the craft skills behind them are becoming rare. Like so many things, they have slipped gently out of everyday life.
The setting of Shimmer is deliberate. The house, with its wide windows and restrained geometry, echoes an era that valued leisure as a vital part of life. The empty chair suggests pause, observation, the luxury of doing nothing but watching light move across water. It is not about nostalgia alone, but about recognising what we have lost in the rush towards convenience and speed.
Among all pond yachts, the 50/800 Marblehead from the turn of the last century remains the pinnacle. Elegant, purposeful and beautifully proportioned, it represents the best of design meeting craft. In Shimmer, the yacht becomes a symbol of that peak moment, when making things well mattered deeply.
This painting is not about motion alone, but about waiting and waiting for the wind, waiting for reflections to change, waiting thirty years for a dream to arrive, finally.
Shimmer: Oil on Linen, 95cm x 125cm