Description
Title & Artist: ?A Sailor?s Valentine - For Men Must Work, and Women must Weep? - by Amy Hourihan
Medium & Size: Encaustic collage on wood. Archivally mounted. 19" x 8"
Artist Statement: My codfish is made from a series of woodcut collages I made, based upon the well known 19th century octagonal shell assemblages made by sailor?s to give to their sweetheart or wives. This hand-pulled print was cut to fit the wooden template of a cod, and affixed with archival book binding glue. The reproduced daguerreotype of a sailor and his weeping lover was glued to the central medallion of the valentine, and hand colored. Letter-press stamps were used to spell out the sentences, taken from the refrain of an 1851 poem called Three Fishers by Charles Kingsley: "For Men Must Work and Women Must Weep?. Going to sea to fish for Cod brought riches to Marblehead, but left countless widows.
The codfish plaque is covered in layers of encaustic medium which is made from pure bees wax and damar resin. The wax is brushed on and then fused to the layers below it with a heat gun. Encaustic methods date back to the Egyptians and the finish is durable and timeless, as bees wax will never discolor or mildew. I have buffed it to a shine, and it will benefit from a periodic buffing with a soft cloth to restore its shine. It should not be exposed to high temperatures.
The back of the codfish plaque is signed, and it includes two things: A pictorial copy of the original octagonal woodcut, and a copy of Kingsley?s poem.
Artist Biography: I work out of a printmaking studio at Little Harbor, Marblehead. I split my time fairly evenly with plein air watercolor, and printmaking. I also create mixed media images with encaustic medium. I have studied with a number of excellent Boston area teachers including Joel Janowitz, Matt Brown, Julia Talcott and Gary Tucker. I have studied drawing, painting and printmaking at The Museum of Fine Arts, Maud Morgan Arts, and the DeCordova School. I am an artist member of Marblehead, Salem and Newburyport Art Associations, as well as the Monotype Guild of NE.
Value: $450
Hosting Business: ?A Sailor?s Valentine - For Men Must Work and Women Must Weep? is on display at Shipshape, 128 Washington St., Marblehead, MA.
Item Special Note
Pick-up of purchased cods will be on Thursday evening, July 5. Winning bidder will receive a notification email with information on pick-up time and location.
If winning bidder requires shipping, winner's credit card will be charged a separate $24.95 fee to cover USPS ground and handling. Shipping is available within the U.S. only and must be requested within 7 days after receipt of the notification email.
Any cod purchased via "Buy Now" will remain on display at the hosting business through the end of the auction, and will be available for pick-up as detailed in the winning bidder notification email.
If winning bidder has not picked up cod (or provided shipping address) within 30 days after the close of the auction, cod will become the property of Marblehead Festival of Arts, Inc.