Ben Gunn makes his final voyage to Treasure Island

Ben Gunn, fisherman, artist, raconteur, philosopher, imbiber of life and Guiness.

Seated outside the Swordfish, Ben Gunn, one of Newlyn's very own adopted Scots and far from fictitious man-of-the-sea doing what he did best, spinning a yarn, long or tall short or not...

when he wasn't holding court in the Swordfish or Star he could be found down the quay...

heading off to sea. Seemingly, Ben at some time, removed himself physically as far as he could from the place of his home in Wick.  He fished around Scotland for some time and I recall one of his many true stories - recounted when we first met back when you could buy a 'quarter' for about the same as you would now pay for a pint. It went like this: Ben was stood on the quayside in Mallaig looking down on a small prawn boat preparing to sail when one of the crew arrived. Ben observed that he carried two carrier bags of grub - one seemed to be just loaves of bread, the other, bottles of whisky. When both bags were lowered by rope down on the deck the skipper below looked up and exclaimed, "Who the f***'s gonna eat a' the bread??! - or when he arrived in West Cornwall A&E late one Friday night and was treated by a doctor who complained about the amount of alcohol Ben had consumed, to which he responded by informing the doc that it was a lack of sufficient alcohol that was the problem. Such was his outlook on life - it was to be lived.

Having spent his life at sea, his favourite subject to paint is the ocean, with Ben capturing its ever changing beauty on canvas over many years. Gunn-Ho is the name of Ben's studio and his story, told by Wander. The short video, Gunn-Ho! was made in 2016 in which he muses about life, fishing and his place in the grand scheme if things. It was shown at the Newlyn Filmhouse during the 2016 Newlyn Fish Festival as a part of the 'Fish Films in the Fridge' screenings.

In addition to a lifetime at sea fishing, Ben, being true to his fictional namesake, also had a few eccentricities - not least, was a creative spirit which later in life he fully embraced - once by creating something of a Newlyn myth.

Continuing the tradition of art in Newlyn

Although they are somewhat faded today - you can still see an arrangement of stones where the Mary Williams Pier meets the walkway to the lifeboat house which, one day, mysteriously appeared covered in bright blue paint. Alas, there was no signature on this very contemporary art work but the shade of blue used provided a clue for those in the know as it was a predominant pigment in a certain Mr Gunn's artworks - which were by now coming to the attention of a wider audience than the passing holiday visitor trade from which Ben was selling to in order to subsidise his cheese habit.

With the physically hardship of life at sea fishing making to heavy a demand on Ben's body he turned to using his creative skills to supplement his income. His business card (of which, sadly, I can't find) featured one of his artworks and on the reverse his contact details, phone number and the words, "or ask at the Swordfish".

In a previous life, Ben sailed out of Wick and Lowestoft, Aberdeen and Grimsby from the 1960s and he saw action in the last Cod War in the waters off Iceland. In all. he spent 14 years fishing inside the Artic Circle.  All his life experiences went into the art works that were to follow.

A collection of his paintings were shown in the PZ Gallery fostered by the encouragement of Jeremy Le Grice. Ben's works, mostly seascapes, one review said "vary from the exuberant to distant views over rolling moorland. There is a level of irony in the titles of these works and “Bitch of a Night” returns us again to darker themes." said another.

For a period of creative time, Ben enjoyed the use of a first-floor studio in one of Shaun Stevenson's Newlyn buildings - a former net loft. From there, Ben went full-on creative. Below, you can enjoy a video tour of the studio shot on his studio open day:

So very sadly, Ben, of Fore Street, Newlyn,  passed away at West Cornwall Hospital on the 6th September 2024, aged 79. He will be greatly missed by his loving wife Jackie and Son Darren, and his many friends and extended fishing family. 

There are a number of Ben's art works that adorn several Newlyn buildings to look out for on a visit.

 
Ben's funeral service will be held at St Mary's Church, Chapel Street, Penzance on Tuesday 24th September 2024 at 12 noon. Traditional black funeral attire is not required. Following the service, all are warmly invited to raise a glass in memory of Ben, at the Star Inn, Newlyn.