Artwork description:

sad story

This picture is based upon extracts of a painting by Dutch marine artist Hendrick van Anthonissen (1605-1656). His painting shows the beach and church at Scheveningen, Holland. Recent restoration work of the painting revealed a stranded whale that had been covered over, perhaps because they were considered unlucky. The skeletal remains of a whale from the time are preserved in the church at Scheveningen.

Sperm whales are used to the deep waters of the Atlantic. If they are tempted too far into the North Sea then the shallow waters of Dogger bank and beyond will disorient them, and sadly, they will have little chance of surviving.

It may be that we find ourselves stranded at some point. Or we wonder if we can ever get back to where we belong. Some will offer encouragement and some won't. Afterwards we will know who our friends really are. And therein lies the unexpected, for sure.

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This print is pulled from a relief plate cut from a sheet of rubber, a variation of letterpress. After removal of areas that are not be printed, the cut rubber sheet is rolled up with ink and pressed to paper, producing the print. The completed edition made 7 copies. The paper and ink are of high quality and should present no keeping difficulty. The print would fit straight into a 10x12 inch frame if required. Otherwise the print can be trimmed to order before dispatch, without extra charge. Please see the adjacent photograph as to how the image is positioned on the paper.

Materials used:

oil-based printing ink, Lambeth Cartridge paper 130 gsm

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