Ross Jones

“I have featured Schuco’s amazing Nautico electric motor yacht in ‘The Captain’. This particular model is made of sheet metal and plastic and coloured in white, blue, and maroon, with a compass in the front deck so you know where you’re going. I can remember having a pair of shoes with a compass set into the insole, made popular by the spy TV programmes of the time.

Two batteries drive the propeller and turn the radar on top of the boat’s deck. Both the toy and box are great examples of build quality – seldom found today and at 70 years old, it still works as good as new.

I’d been looking for this particular model for several years and finally found this boxed example in Italy. The goldfish are owned and loved by our friends in Waipu and their fish names are Scar, Beast, and Comet.

Nautico is 37cm long and was made in West Germany between 1950-1960. Schuco is a German manufacturing company founded in 1912 by Heinrich Müller and the businessman Heinrich Schreyer in Nuremberg, Germany’s toy capital since the early days. The company’s specialty was making toy reproductions of cars and trucks in tin, plastic, and die-cast, and they still produce quality toys today.”

– Ross Jones

Ross Jones is a contemporary painter creating works that evoke a heady sense of nostalgia and elevated playfulness.

Working from his studio overlooking the Hauraki Gulf north of Auckland, Jones’ fusion of playful realism incorporates elements of the surreal. Each meticulously devised painting offers hints at various narratives as the artist invites the viewer to engage with his role as storyteller.

“I love the phrase “Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story,” so as you view my paintings, don’t let your imagination stop you from seeing the bigger picture. How far the journey takes you is entirely up to you.” – Ross Jones

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