The essence and spirit of The Kimberley is on display onboard True North. Outside, a panorama of rugged mountains and spectacular gorges and waterfalls, and inside the True North, a floating gallery of artwork, offering a union of scenery that immerses guests in their surrounds.

The cabins and day accommodation areas have featured the works of landscape painters such as Ingrid Windram, Jacinda Bayne, Andrew Tischler and Larry Mitchell.

Andrew Tischler is a landscape artist who draws together “the elements of a place”. He wants you to feel what it’s like to be in the Kimberley and he hopes that his work will encourage others to visit this special place.

“When we remember a place we don’t think of it as a fixed thing. I don’t tend to remember the landscape in terms of photograph. I replay it like a movie in my mind. There’s movement, there’s feeling, there’s temperature, there’s all of these different aspects that are very difficult to communicate within a fixed image. My paintings are a lot like a collage. They follow the laws of perspective and the laws of light and water dynamics. I try to focus on those pretty closely. However the image itself is not reality. If it works it draws together the elements that capture the mood and spirit of the place.”

Another artist that features on True North is revered landscape painter, Larry Mitchell who is committed to exhorting greater recognition of global warming and its impact on vulnerable coastal communities through his art. It was this mission that helped to frame a unique partnership with the True North.

When Larry came aboard as artist-in-residence – the shared intrinsic values were immediately obvious and, a commitment to nourishing the communities encountered on voyages together. True North provided Larry with rare access and in turn, Larry was able to chronicle in most-spectacular fashion, the great beauty of largely unchanged village life. Thereafter, Larry has used his work to highlight the menace posed by rising sea levels in international exhibitions such as The Nevada Museum project 1 Degree c.

Even without considering the ravages of climate change – the spectacular and often untouched destinatioairns that are included in True North’s sailing schedule are a constant reminder of just how fragile the environment is. And, how important it is to minimise disturbance.

West Australian artist Jacob ‘Shakey’ Butler joined the True North crew for an adventure en plein air. As artist in residence, Jacob set up his canvas on remote beaches, beside freshwater billabongs and on-deck surrounded by pindan-coloured gorges.

Watch a video of Jacob describing how the Kimberley inspires the art of adventure.