MICHAEL HARVEY - Unoriginal Sins

23 Nov XMAS MORN. 1971. CHRISTMAS CARD.

Posted at 22:54h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
12.4x 16.4cm, 4pp. Christmas card with the image of a fishing boat along with the Port Letters (FR), the Fishing Nos (218), the net tonnage (54), horse power (200) and its name (Xmas Morn). A visual poem by Finlay - a companion work to the two cards published at Christmas for both of the earlier two years.
Finlay's interest in boat names and numbers is reflected in the beauty of Furnival's line drawing. The boat - here drawn by Michael Harvey - like the previous two earlier drawings by John Furnival, is a poem on water. Interestingly Harvey's drawing style cannot be told apart from the earlier Furnival drawings. VG+.
JOINT WITH:
Original mailing envelope hand addressed to Seamus Cooney of the University of Kalamazoo by Finlay and dated November 29 1971. ...

07 May EVENING/SAIL 2. 1971. SIGNED & NUMBERED BY FINLAY IN INK FROM AN EDITION OF 300.

Posted at 20:05h in Artist's Books

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1972
8 x 13cm, 12pp plus wrappers and pictorial dj - artist's book with two silkscreen images - the first is the text EVENING/SAIL in blue letters and the "/" in red - the second is the same but each letter but not the back slash replaced by blue dots. Typography and design by Michael Harvey. The disappearing letters indicating that the ship has gone home leaving only the mast to be seen far off on the horizon. A beautifully simple work which may also be seen as a momento mori much like the print "Evening wil come they sew the blue sale" - see elsewhere in the print section of this collection. One of 300 signed and numbered copies in VG+ condition.

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11 Oct AZURE & SON. 1970.

Posted at 14:16h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1970
10.5 x 15cm, 2pp. Full colour artist's postcard with an image of a sundial made by Finlay for later installation in the High Street in Biggar. The stone work which was inscribed with the text "AZURE & SON. ISLANDS LTD. OCEANS INC." cut in slate by Michael Harvey. This was the first colour postcard that Finlay published under the press' imprint.
Azure of course is the bright blue that is usually associated with the sky on a bright lovely day - and as a result a friend to a sundial that works best on such bright days. The three references to Azure/islands/Oceans - therefore cover the full landscape of sky, land and sea.
The text was originally a poem published in A Sailor's Calendar by the Something Else Press but in a letter to Stephen Bann (Page 80 of Midway, 2014) Finlay explains that the work is to be sited on a traffic island (hence the Island reference) and that "& SON/Ltd./INC." places the work relative to local commerce (Finlay refers to traffic in the sense of both vehicle movement and economic activity). Finlay also notes he is pleased the the work would be in Biggar where his rival/enemy Hugh McDiarmid lived. A sculptural two finger salute.

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