Painting commission for Trilleen

In October 2025 I received the following message from Facebook friend and disabled sailor Ian Wylie.

“Emma. I really like how your art is developing. Would you be open to considering a small commission to illustrate Amos 5:8 - no time limit but ideally for spring next year. My boat, Trilleen is named for the Manx Gaelic term for the Pleiades - hence the verse, and I'd really like an illustration to carry the meaning on her cabin bulkhead. If you can consider it the deliverable would be digital - I will then get it sublimated onto an aluminium sheet to give it durability.”

I almost never consider doing commissions; the pressure of creating to someone's request has replaced the feeling of inspiration to create with stress of meeting expectations.  But this request and the Bible verse intrigued me, so I explored the possibility with Ian through a few messages and quite quickly felt inspired to paint.

I started playing with colours as I read and re-read the bible passage

“He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land; the Lord is His name.” (Amos 5:8)

I then spent hours entering Ian's world through the dozens of stunning photographs Ian took on his solo Round Britain and Ireland voyage in Trilleen. It was a privilege and joy to imagine myself in the scenes he had captured of scenery, animals, weather and the night sky.

As I started painting I couldn't stop, creating in three slightly different colour ways in a loose watercolour digital painting style.  All the paintings were of the sky at night, with stars and moonlight across the sea.  Some were imagined as seen from the boat, others towards it; some are views towards the shore and others around imagined headlands or lochs.  There were reflections in almost all of them and often the hint of a sunset or sunrise. 

They were an absolute joy to paint and my only fear came when it was time to share them with Ian; that he wouldn't like them; or that I was wildly wide of the mark.  But he didn't leave me hanging, the very next day he messaged to say he thought they were stunning and just had to decide which spoke to him the most. 

Over the coming days and weeks Ian chose his favourite few paintings and asked me to change them from squares I always paint to portrait.  

Note to self: ask about the dimensions of a requested painting before starting to paint! 

We then added the Bible verse in various different ways until together we created this, the final piece.

The painting has not yet been printed onto aluminium and given pride of place on Trilleen because she is in the middle of a refit; but I'm sharing this now, with Ian's permission, to both thank him for the honour of being invited into his watery world and discovering more about his sailing endeavours.

I am also extremely happy to share that stepping out of my comfort zone and accepting this commission has provided the funds I needed to create a second solo exhibition for 2026 “Following Jesus” which launches this Easter alongside my brand new book of Christian poetry “Stanzas of Grace and Light”.   

Watch this space for much more news about the exhibition and the book.

But for now I encourage you to read a little bit about Ian's amazing adventures sailing Trilleen by visiting his website https://sailingtrilleen.org/

“Disabled sailor Ian Wyllie has completed a solo Round Britain and Ireland voyage in Trilleen, his 1979 Vancouver 27, to support the Andrew Cassell Foundation. Living with the effects of a lumbar spinal injury, Ian rebuilt and learned to sail Trilleen alone, making the project a key part of his rehabilitation.”