27 Sep

Posted at 17:02h in Prints + Posters

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1981
43.2 x 35.5cm, full colour on white paper offset lithograph with a reproduced painting by Ian Gardner of three boats near a river with trees. The sub title is "Arcades, Asphodel, Startled Fawn, below Richmond Bridge. After W. Steer, E. March, F. Carr." Asphodel is the flower that is said to carpet Hades, and a food of the dead. The image of the boats under the recognisable bridge suggests that of the passage to Hades via the Styx. The startled fawn of the original painting (presumably a composite of those by the three named painters) has long gone having presumably been startled. VG.

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21 May

Posted at 13:49h in Artist's Books

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1981.
24.8 × 30.5cm, 32pp plus pictorial card covers. A somewhat rare artist's book which has eight full colour lithographs of water colour paintings of poppies by Ian Gardner on thick paper bound in with titles by Finlay. A rather lovely book the theme is similar to other books where German Panzer tanks are well camouflaged in nature. Here the camouflage is perfect - one cannot see the tanks at all. In a suppliment bound in at the back - Finlay has added numberous epigrams relating to tanks and camouflage.

"Total War prompts a Total War Art."

This is one of only 200 copies signed by both Finlay and Gardner on the last page.VG+.

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07 Apr

Posted at 17:45h in Artist's Postcards

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1981
13.8 x 90cm, 1pp. Gardner's drawing of the titular pillar box (a defensive position made usually of concrete in the second world war) suggests such a structure is needed as a posting box for the letters sent by Finlay and others during the Little Sparta War and other disputes.
On the reverse, there is a handwritten note from Sue Finlay to Harry Warschauer thanking him for putting her in touch with "NK" at Duck Soup, and for his gifts. She mentions that she (they?) are very busy due to changing an exhibition but also because of the "devastated garden'. A stamped and mailed copy but VG+.

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20 Jun

Posted at 09:40h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1972
13.5 x 16cm, 2pp - Gardner's drawing of an old fashioned cast metal iron on its side references the sinking of the civil war "Iron Ship" Monitor 16 miles off Cape Hatteras with the loss of sixteen men. Paintings of the ship show it floundering on its side before going down. VG+

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12 Jun

Posted at 09:32h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1972
22.5 x 15cm, 2pp - three colour screenprint with a drawing of sails by Ian Gardner on the front. Brown, and blue are colour associated with Wittgenstein's famous books which discuss the role of context in the understanding of language ("language games") and by extension signifiers such as a drawing. Famously Wittgenstein noted an ambiguous drawing such as the famous rabbit/duck was an example of "seeing that" versus "seeing as".
Here the abstract painting of a sail can also be seen as a river passing through the land to reach the sea. Deeper than one might imagine on first viewing this was also Finlay's largest silkscreen card. VG+

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21 Apr

Posted at 22:31h in Exhibition Catalogues

Nottingham: The Tarasque Press, 1972
22.5 x 20cm, 28pp plus pictorial wrappers. Exhibition catalogue of show of concrete poetry works edited by Stephen Bann. Contributions by Simon Cutts, Ian Gardner, Stuart Mills and Finlay who has three pages of b/w photographs (4 images) taken by Stuart Mills. Slight grubbiness along outer spine else VG. Scarce Catalogue.

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20 Mar

Posted at 09:08h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1972
7.5 x 8.6cm, 6pp (single folded sheet printed only one side). One of Finlay's most accessible and popular cards, the images on both sides by Ian Gardner are very similar only one is a path leading to a house, the other a wake on water leading to a boat. The text in the middle tells a story in very few words: "They returned home tired by happy. The End." As with many of Finlay's card and prints that show returning boats this can be seen as a metaphor for the end of life or just the end of a nice tale. VG+

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04 Dec

Posted at 22:45h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
21 x 12.5cm, 4pp. Artist's card with a reproduced painting by Ian Gardner tipped on the card and opposite a text: "Elegy for Whimbrel and Petrel/petrol". A whimbrel is a wading bird and petrel is another sea bird that spends much of its time on the wing rather than on the sand hence between the two animals both sand and sky birds are represented. The elegy - the poem - is a sad consideration of the effects of pollution on seaside bird life. Opposite the boat in the painting is beached and has its sails ripped - hence it appears petrol fuelled boats are replacing the more traditional vessels much to Finlay's dismay. VG+.

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11 Sep

Posted at 22:09h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
9.8 x 7cm, 4pp. Artist's card with a reproduced painting by Ian Gardner of a tree in a landscape. Inside the card is the text: "TREE-SHELLS. Instructions: Apply ear to Tree-Shell. Listen for Lakes." The card can be used to create the same auditory illusion as holding a sea-shell to the ear - hence bringing the sound of water (lakes) to the ear. VG+

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11 Jul

Posted at 19:15h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
15.2 x 10.1cm, 2pp. Four colour (green, brown, blue and black) silkscreen of a drawing by Ian Gardner of a growing pot with a stick labelled "daisies" sticking out of it.
The wooden label becomes the daisy - much like in a Magritte a word replaces the thing it represents. A visual form of semiology where the interpretation of a sign becomes the most important and most dominant analysis of a (somewhat pretty) drawing.This example is signed on the back with :"Love from Ian" in black ink. VG+

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07 May

Posted at 20:32h in Artist's Books

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
15 x 11cm, 12pp (printed recto only with three silkscreened images on thick stock) plus wrappers and pictorial dj - artist's book with lovely colourful small drawings by Gardner above texts by Finlay. A brown sailed tall ship has the legend "An orchard of russets" above its appropriate name Appledore. A brown bottomed boat is a "Rococo walnut" because of its obvious seams, a fur tree is a "pinnate evergreen" which in turn is identified as the sea. One of 300 copies numbered and signed by Finlay on the colophon. VG+.

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07 Mar

Posted at 20:18h in Artist's Books

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
12.7 x 10.3cm, 16pp plus wrappers and pictorial dj - artist's book which purports to be a test for the ability to master a Weed Boat. The questions are all jokey and poetic at the same time. For example: "Q. What are the "petals" of the Port of Honfleur?" No answers are given. there are small vignettes on most pages by Ian Gardner.
Part One of the "test" was published in the series "Private Tutor" as issue no. 11 - see the listing elsewhere in these pages.VG+ although staples are minorly rusty

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