What Happened to Mick Bensley?
Mick Bensley’s demise news was posted on his official Facebook page and the statement reads the following,
It is with great sadness that I and his family must inform you all of the death of Mick Bensley. He peacefully passed away today in the hospital. Funeral arrangements will be posted on the various Rottingdean pages in due course. He was passionate about Rottingdean and dearly loved all the wonderful people who he was proud to call his friends.
Mick Bensley Cause of Death
Mick Bensley is a marine and landscape artist who specializes in watercolor portrayals of maritime. As per the official report posted on social media, it was confirmed that Mick Bensley passed away peacefully today in the hospital. Neither any online reports nor his family members revealed any precise cause of death for Bensley.
As we all know, Covid has severely impacted several segments of the working population, and working musicians and artists have been particularly badly struck. Mick is a well-known figure in this town and as such, he needs our help more than ever.
Mick Bensley Biography
Mick Bensley was born in Sheringham, on the coast of North Norfolk, and spent his formative years near the North Sea, where he gained a deep appreciation for its varied moods and challenging weather patterns.
It started to pique my interest in painting it. After reading “Henry Blogg of Cromer” by Cyril Jolly in the late 1960s, he created his first watercolor paintings of maritime rescues.
He was inspired and driven to paint this subject by stories of the rescues, incredible feats accomplished against insurmountable obstacles, and the selfless bravery of the men who manned our lifeboats.
Mick Bensley narrated his art life
I was a student at Norwich School of Art, after which I worked in London for 15 years as a designer and illustrator. Throughout the seventies, I continued to paint maritime watercolors and oils and in 1980 returned to Norfolk to paint professionally. I have since gained a reputation as a marine artist of skill and accuracy, with paintings in private collections around the world.
Four highly successful exhibitions of paintings and books depicting the rescues of Henry Blogg and the crews of Cromer lifeboats, the rescues of Sheringham lifeboats, the rescues of Wells and Blakeney lifeboats, and the rescues of the Caister lifeboats were held at Picturecraft of Holt, Norfolk in 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2008. These were the results of almost 12 years of work.
A great deal of meticulous research is involved in collecting sufficient material to produce a book and it takes some two and a half years to complete a number of working drawings, sketches, and paintings.
Research usually begins through reading RNLI reports or being fortunate enough to find someone who was involved in the incident. Whilst reading a description of a rescue I find myself undertaking a thumbnail sketch and, more often than not, this usually forms the basis of a finished painting.
From the thumbnail sketch, a much more detailed working drawing is made concentrating on the run of the sea and the action of the crew and their boat.
A working drawing provides enough information, where possible, to engage in conversation with someone involved in the rescue and the opportunity to gain a greater awareness of the event before finally committing the subject to a finished painting.
I now live and work overlooking the sea in Rottingdean on the Sussex Coast. I divide my time between painting (in oils, watercolor, and pastels) and teaching watercolor techniques and methods.
