Nautical by Nature: The maritime paintings of Robert Semler

When Robert Semler paints, no detail is too small. He’s found a niche over the last 50 years with his maritime oil paintings — mainly tugboats and other historic military vessels.

But with that niche comes a following of dedicated collectors. And they’re nothing if not scrutinizing.

“I paint for the rivet-counters,” he says with a laugh. “No matter how obscure you think something is, you can guarantee there’s someone who knows it by heart. And they aren’t afraid to tell you if it’s wrong. When my paintings are on display, I’ll see guys standing there counting bridge windows. But when they tell you they love it, that’s the biggest compliment.”

Semler isn’t painting from his imagination. He’s painting from history.

“I’m trying to re-create history,” he says. “I especially love the beauty of these old ships. It’s something that doesn’t exist anymore. These are real vessels that real people served on. It’s an honor to bring that to life.”

Semler’s love for art — and all things maritime — started as a teenager. He recalls drawing and copying the illustrations from his comics. He says he never wanted to do anything else.

When he was 16, he and his father watched the launch of the last U.S. diesel submarine, and he was hooked right away.

“There’s just something romantic about it,” he says.

The process starts with research. Semler describes it as a labor of love. It’s an interesting, if tedious, process. He paints from source material — mostly historic black-and-white photos, many of which come from his father-in-law, who was the captain of a ship in WWII.

He scours history books, logbooks and online resources to research every detail about his subjects. What was the color scheme? How many windows did it have?

Nothing is overlooked.

On one occasion, an astute observer pointed out a small, but critical mistake.

“I originally painted the United States flag flying with 50 stars,” he says with a laugh. “At the time, the flag would’ve only had 48. So the research is really important. Once I have that done, I can relax. The painting is the easy part.”

From there, he mocks up thumbnail sketches and preliminary drawings, using Photoshop to combine his favorite elements from different photos. Once he has a composition he’s happy with, he projects the image and transfers it onto a canvas with charcoal.

His attention to detail has earned the respect of collectors and the U.S. Coast Guard alike. Last month, the Coast Guard awarded him with the George Gray Award for Artistic Excellence for his painting, “Guardians of the Sea.” It marked the fourth time he’s won the award.

For Semler, the real reward comes from honoring the men and women who serve our country.

“I have a lot of respect for the Coast Guard,” he says. “It’s something I can do to give back. The award has my name on it, but the satisfaction comes from giving them a nice piece of art.”