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Beautiful frames made from hardwoods with a history 

These gorgeous frames are made from recycled timber from old Kenyan fishing boats that are no longer sea-worthy, some small canoes and some large vessels. 

This group of craftspeople was set up ten years ago by Chris Nicklin, an artist brought up in the coastal Kenyan town of Malindi.  Finding old pieces of driftwood washed up on the beach inspired him to buy an abandoned boat from a local fisherman.  It was to be the first of many.  The boats - ngalaus or canoes, horis and Arab dhows - are built from various woods including mvuli, mango and mbamba kofi.  The timber is full of character and grain - worn and scarred from many years of fishing up and down the coast.  Chris now employs 12 "mundis" or craftsmen who make each frame by hand.  The salvaged boats are brought to Nairobi where the wood is sawn into planks using a traditional pit saw before being worked on by the carpenters.  Very little machinery is used due to the character of the wood and the main nails embedded therein.

Each frame is branded with the group's logo and includes the story about it's origins.  They are made to last and are finished to a high standard using imported fittings.  No varnish is used, instead each frame is oiled and hand-polished.  

Click here to read more about Nicklin Artworks.

Every frame is completely unique so we have taken a photo of each one so you can pick the one you love!  Once a frame is purchased, we'll replace the photo with another frame.

Click thumbnails below to see available colors above