James A. Flood

Born on the fourth of July in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1944, James Allan Flood has carried a love for ships and the sea that dates back to early childhood. Today his home is a veritable maritime museum filled end to end with models and paintings of ocean liners, battleships, and sailing ships.

From warships in battle to graceful liners, the primary focus of Jim Flood’s paintings is almost always a ship. Frequently depicted in historical context, his subject is often framed in a familiar background such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Isle of Wight, or New York Harbor. One is immediately drawn to his signature use of diffuse and colorful atmospherics, the meticulous attention to detail. His ships are stately and well loved; the waters real enough to touch. And his love of art extends well beyond the canvas; step through his modest frame door and time reverses. From the hand tailored Edwardian suit, chain watch, and prince-nez glasses, to the chimes of pendulum clocks and intricately carved gold picture frames, the haunting grace of a more elegant era creates the ultimate backdrop for his paintings.

Educated in Philadelphia and South Florida, Jim attributes his mastery in portraying ships and sea to his earliest art teachers; claiming that by the time he was in college, the move towards modernistic art had such a strong hold that his hyper-realistic technique was looked upon with disdain. Today he is quite satisfied that he ignored their criticism and stubbornly held true to his style.

James joined the Navy in 1965, and served on the USS Laffey, the USS Wright, and then as quartermaster on the USS New Jersey, returning to civilian life in 1969. He made ends meet by singing and playing piano at local jazz clubs, and teaching sailing classes until he eventually landed a job at Eastern Air Lines, where he worked his way into the art department. There he sketched, modeled, and painted aircraft images, while continuing to paint portraits of ships on the side. After the fall of Eastern Air Lines, James decided that what he really wanted to do was to paint ships, fulltime. It was a decision he never regretted.
James has recently returned from a tour aboard the Queen Mary 2, where he lectured on his artwork and taught classes during two transatlantic voyages. Eight of his most recent paintings can be viewed aboard Queen Mary 2 in her onboard gallery and Commodore Lounge. Prints are available on the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Queen Mary 2 through Fine Art Wholesalers and the onboard bookshops, Ocean Books.