Guy Harvey’s paintings are the stuff of legend. The marlin and other fish he produces are as close to the real thing as you can get without getting wet. While his creations have always been worthy of comparison to the sea, now they’re truly seaworthy.
One of Harvey’s designs is the hull artwork for the Norwegian Escape, a new cruise liner based out of Miami. It is the largest ship ever sailed by Norwegian Cruise Line and can carry over 4,000 passengers into the Caribbean on seven-day cruises. The hull of the Escape provided Harvey with 1,200 feet of canvas, which stretches across the bow and stern.
The design features hand-painted sea life from the Caribbean, albeit not hand-painted by Harvey himself. According to the Palm Beach Post, a laser projected the image onto the hull, the design was outlined with tape, and a team of painters penciled in the lines.
The 1,065-foot long, 136-foot wide behemoth isn’t likely to be backing down on a blue marlin any time soon, the marine life depicted on the hull is incredibly realistic. Norwegian recognized that if you’re going to sail the Caribbean, you need it to be decorated by someone who is intimately familiar with the waters.
“Guy Harvey is the perfect artist to design Norwegian Escape‘s hull artwork because he is so passionate about the sea and his marine artwork is so life-like and well recognized,” Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer, told Edge Media Network. “We also appreciate how Guy is focused on ocean conservation and keeping the marine environment pristine, We plan to work with him to help support the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation as that goes hand-in-hand with our company’s strong commitment to the environment.”
The hull’s artwork isn’t the only taste of Harvey’s work those on the cruise line will get. Travel Agent Central reported the Norwegian Escape will feature Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation-produced documentaries, each highlighting endangered marine animals. The films will run on the guest staterooms’ televisions to educate passengers about the sea life around them on their voyage.
The Escape doesn’t sail until November 14, 2015, but when it does, Guy Harvery’s work will be on display. In addition to Harvey’s art, each ship in the Norwegian fleet features a unique design on its hull, such as the Hawaii-bound Pride of America with appropriate red, white, and blue.
“I am deeply honored to be asked by Norwegian to paint the hull of the newest and largest ship in their fleet,” Harvey said in a 2014 press release, when the opportunity was announced. “The larger than life paintings of popular but endangered marine creatures in the Caribbean will heighten public awareness about marine life. The large scale mural demonstrates the concern and respect that Norwegian and I have for the marine environment through which this ship will travel over the years.”
The Norwegian Escape was built in Papenburg, Germany, not far from Harvey’s hometown of Bad Lippspringe, Germany, to the south.
Watch as Guy Harvey takes viewers behind the scenes of the painting process in this video.
Video by Norwegian Cruise Line via YouTube
Photos via Norwegian Cruise Line