12 Aug HOT DAY. 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996
9.8 x 4.1cm, 4pp artist's card with a drawing by Jo Hincks on the front and inside a poem by Finlay:
HOT
DAY
Gary
Vida
Rhoda
Jo
in
boats
12.7.96
...
06 Aug EXPECTATION. 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1996)
13 x 9.5cm, 4pp artist's card with a reproduced watercolour drawing of a blue sailship by Gary Hincks and a long "quotation" supposedly from Heinrich von Osterdingen which Finlay dubs "An Alternative Opening" where a young man thinks about a tale of a blue sailboat and how much he would love to see such a thing. In a 1802 book about Heinrich von Osterdingen by Novalis the young man dreams about a blue flower (rather than a boat). The blue flower became a regular reference in symbolism for romance - here Finlay alters the symbolism to that of the sea and long voyagesVG+.
...
02 Aug NEW BOAT. 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996
7.8 x 7.8cm, 4pp, A drawing of a boat's rudder by Gary Hincks on the front of the card has a poem by Finlay inside:
NEW BOAT
BR>
Pintles cast bronze -
Rudder mahogany -
Varnish like ice on
A clear water pool.
A pintle is the attachment for a rudder. Finlay has other works that liken the varnish found on a rudder to ice. VG+.
...
01 Aug ECHOES. SERIES: AFTER LZ. 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996
14 x 6.4cm, 4pp, The poem (after Louis Zukofsky) is
AFTER LZ
BR>
an
other
in
equality
wild
flower
The pairs of words when conjoined change the meaning to the opposite - which is also true of the last two words which are spaced apart to make the pairing less obvious. VG+.
...
27 Jul DROWNED FISH? FEATHER? 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996
14 x 7.6cm, 4pp, A two part poem is illustrated by Gary Hincks with three feathers:
Drowned
fish?
feather
drowned
fish?
Finlay's fondness for minimal changes in word order is here - giving different images - a "drowned fish" (something which is not possible unless you change the definition of "drown") may be a feather that has been mistakenly identified, a feather drowned in turn might be seen to be a fish. VG+.
...
24 Jul CHAIN. 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996
7.7 x 7cm, 4pp, outer folder with an internal tipped in 14.3 x 6cm (open size) sheet with the word Daisy repeated seven times in different type fonts. Literally making a daisy chain. VG+.
...
01 Jul GLEANER. 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996
17.4 x 11.3cm, 2pp, artist's card with a drawing by Gary Hincks of a modern plastic fish box (where fish are packed in ice to be sold at market) and the name GLEAMER of the fishing boat that caught the fish. This card reproduces an image made for the cinderella stamps Finlay published for an exhibition and edition at time when UK faced a change in marItime law and the Euro was mooted as the universal European currency (eventually the UK did not join the monetary union despite its advantages for trade).
The companion card HARVESTER was published at the same time (see previous entry).
Finlay did a unique work based on these boat names and registration numbers as well as the stamps. The port letters PD here stands for PETERHEAD. This card shows a stamp that is to be sold for 1 Euro (the earlier one was for 35p) which reflects the modernity of the box. One suspects Finlay prefers the older wooden version of the boxes and perhaps even dislikes the idea of the innovation of the Euro. VG+.
...
01 Jul HARVESTER. 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996
17.4 x 11.3cm, 2pp, artist's card with a drawing by Gary Hincks of a wooden old fashioned fish box (where fish are packed in ice to be sold at market) and the name HARVESTER of the fishing boat that caught the fish. This card reproduces an image made for the cinderella stamps Finlay published for an exhibition and edition at time when UK faced a change in marItime law and the Euro was mooted as the universal European currency (eventually the UK did not join the monetary union despite its advantages for trade). The companion card GLEANER was published at the same time. This stamp was (theoretically) sold for 35p and therefore emphasising its British heritage unlike the companion card which was sold for 1 Euro. Finlay also did a unique work based on these boat names and registration numbers as well as the stamps. The port letters PD here stands for PETERHEAD. VG+.
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30 Jun HOMAGE TO WALTER REEKIE’S RING NETTERS. 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996
10.3 x 16cm, 2pp, artist's card with the names and numbers of various boats involved in ring netting in the shape of the Olympic's symbol. This year was the Olympics and as in 1992 Finlay created this card which honours both the games and the fishing fleet builders from Siminins. VG+.
...
26 Jun PICABIA SERIES. ANDRE LE NOTRE LASSOES BERNARD LASSUS! 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996
7 x 17.5cm, 4pp, artist's card which opens up to 7 x 35cm, 1pp. A text printed reverse blue on white reads "Andre Le Notre Lassoes Bernard Lassus!" André Le Nôtre was a French landscape architect and principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France and here Finlay suggests he dwarfs the reputation of his newly found enemy Lassus!. One of the "Picabia Series" and the last of three cards attacking Finlay's former colleague Bernard Lassus. VG+.
...
24 Jun A SEYCHELLES STRADIVARIOUS. 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996
9 x 8cm, 4pp, artist's card with a reproduced painting by Janet Boulton of a model boat by Raymond Houareau, Finlay calls this a "Seychelles Stradivarious" alluding to the quality of the work done and the colour of the wood which reminds one of the body of an ancient violin. VG+.
...
16 Jun CONVINCED. 1996.
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996
10.7 x 15.4cm, 1pp, artist's card with quotation from Bernard Lassus from Between Landscape Architecture and Land Art which is deliberately chosen to make Lassus seem egotistic - "In the United States...