Letters + Documents - Unoriginal Sins

07 Jul A TYPED LETTER SIGNED BY FINLAY TO FRED HUNTER. 1965.

Posted at 10:31h in Letters + Documents

26 x 22.2cm, 1pp. 223 words. A signed typed letter written at Gledfield House, Ardgay, by Finlay on c. 7 June 1965 soon after he had moved from Edinburgh, and just before he moved into the farmhouse on the estate, the first of his garden retreats, where he was to live for the following year: “We are not yet quite settled for we are in the basement of the ‘Big House’ till we get in the farmhouse in some 2 weeks… We still feel upheavaled… The farmhouse looks very nice, especially as it has a real sluice beside it, making a sound of running water. There is quite a large, and quite a wild, garden in front, and a big wood behind…”. Finlay asks to delay sending things to Hunter as “The earthships (the paper sculptural multiple Finaly issued) here need to be assembled and they are at the foot of mounds of heavy boxes… Once we are in the farmhouse we will be able to unpack properly.” The letter is signef=d “Ian” in red ink, with the typed addition “Sue too…”. Folded for mailing, o/w Fine, together with the original mailing envelope addressed in red ink by Finlay with stamp and 1965 franking (which allows dating of the missive)....

26 Feb LETTER TO CHARLES ROWE FROM SUE SWAN. 1965.

Posted at 12:58h in Letters + Documents

20 x 12.5cm, typescript on yellow paper. A letter sent by Susan Swan to a potential client offering price lists and mentioning the "new series" of large prints or as Sue Finlay writes: "visual creations that fall into a visual category" that the press is publishing. "We hope they will eventually be a series representative of international contemporary visual and concrete poems." Signed in blue ink....

11 Jul A TYPED LETTER SIGNED BY FINLAY TO FRED HUNTER DATED 11 JULY (1963).

Posted at 10:33h in Letters + Documents

A typed letter signed by Finlay to his friend Fred Hunter (dated July 11th [1963]) on two sheets of light typing paper - each 12.7 x 20.2cm, 1pp. There are approximately 353 words, with one holograph correction. Finlay writes: “I also enclose a catalogue Jessie [McGuffie] and I made, for the gallery Jessie was to run here; unfortunately, the nasty posh lady who owned the gallery, objected to some of the people who were invited to the opening, and there was an argument, and Jessie got sacked, whereupon the artist withdrew his paintings, so there never WAS an exhibition.” Elsewhere, Finlay thanks Hunter “for the pound… the Wild Hawthorn is certainly always glad of money”; mentions Fish-Sheet (“I hope to do it, at irregular intervals”), and informs that “Next Poth will be 8”. Other chat refers to Hunter having bought “the concretes of [sic] A D'Offay; I just hope it wasn’t a disappointment for you; it worries me”, and a promise to dig out back issues of Migrant for him that “are shut away in a teachest, in a friend’s house”. This letter was sent by Finlay along with the handout for the Patriot Gallery (which has a separate listing in this collection) which is the exhibition by Stitt he refers to in this letter. "I also enclose a catalogue Jessie and I made, for the gallery Jessie was to run here, unfortunately, the nasty posh lady who owned the gallery, objected to some of the people who were invited to the opening, and there was an argument, and Jessie got sacked, whereupon the artist withdrew his paintings, so there never WAS an exhibition. However the artist gave us three prints of his etching, Bird descending, and I thought you might like to have one as a little present so here it it. P Stitt has much nicer things but he will certainly be famous one day, so the etching will be good to have...