There is something deeply satisfying about a cold and frosty morning in Wivenhoe.

The air is beautifully fresh and filled with the tumultuous sound of birds feeding along the estuary mudflats. With a slight breeze, there is also the chiming of the sailboat halyards to keep you company.

And if you're really lucky, you get to spend it wandering around a studio filled with works that capture the essence of it all a darn sight better than my prose ever will.

James Dodds has to be one of the area's most popular artists.

Born in Brightlingsea, James trained as a shipwright in Maldon before going on to study at the Royal College of Art in London.

And it is his love of boats and the places where they are built that greatly influences James' work.

His small library, with works by Arthur Ransome as well as local authors Ronald Blythe and Wivenhoe poet Martin Newell, speaks volumes, sharing as they do his love of boats and the area he was born and brought up in.

James said: "I suppose my work does idolise boats and this area but it is just another way of sinking one's feet into the landscape.

"In my work, I am trying to capture the essence of the boat and to that extent I am actually building them in my head and, as an artist, will keep at it until it looks right."

A fine example of this is his Blue Boat painting which was the centrepiece of a recent exhibition at the Essex University Gallery in Colchester.

Measuring 8ft by 4ft, the painting was a big departure for James and marked a movement towards recreating the majesty of boats in a more literal form.

Already sold, it will feature in a new house being built in Mersea.

He said: "It is going to be put up on a huge white wall overlooking the marshes and estuary waters which I think is rather appropriate."

From Saturday a collection of James' old and new work will be taking over most of the gallery space at Firstsite, Colchester.

The two-month exhibition at the High Street gallery is without doubt James' biggest to date and it has allowed him to experiment more with his work.

One of the new pieces in the show is a long piece of cloth which he has printed a real life boat onto. James said: "A local lad built this 12ft clinker at the Nottage so I asked him if I could make a print of it."

As James pointed out the print of the boat made it look slightly whale-like making the connection not only between the shape of the boat and a whale but the fact each of them were also in danger of becoming extinct.

Eventually both James and the gallery are looking to tour the country with the exhibition, especially to places which have a long history of boat building just like Wivenhoe and Brightlingsea.

James added "When I was asked to do it I knew what a wonderful opportunity it was. The gallery is really making a name for itself and with its commitment to helping out local artists there has never been a more exciting time to be an artist in Colchester."

Shipshape, a collection of works by James Dodds, will be at Firstsite at the Minories, Colchester from Saturday until February 2.

Published Friday November 23, 2001