David Blackwood [Paperback]

Newfoundland's dramatic beauty and rich folklore provide fertile subject matter that, when combined with outport-raised artist David Blackwood's technical brilliance, has brought his work into the international limelight. William Gough's David Blackwood: Master Printmaker goes a long way toward showing why. This ship captain's son's large-scale etchings of whales and whalers, fishermen and seal hunters, and Newfoundland's magnificent land- and seascapes can be found in prominent collections including the Uffizi in Florence and that of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. At home, he's been awarded the Order of Canada and multiple honourary degrees, and one of his etchings, "Fire Down on the Labrador," set a record ($24,200 in 1998) for the highest price paid at auction for a Canadian print.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx (The Shipping News) provides a one-page appreciation of Blackwood's work and its evocation of a way of life that has been lost since the artist's pre-Confederation childhood--he was born in 1941, eight years before Newfoundland and Labrador joined the Dominion of Canada. But the text that really matters comes from poet and novelist Gough (Maud's House, The Proper Lover) who, like Blackwood, spent his childhood in Wesleyville soaking up the local lore. Gough draws on his own vivid and poetic memories to illuminate Blackwood's art. Describing the 1975 print, "September 3rd: Uncle Dan Sturge Home from the Labrador," he writes:

"Sometimes when a ship returned, the news of death awaited those on board. Sorrow would be spelled out in full by one house or another, its blinds drawn like yellow teeth against the daylight... On those days there would be a great stillness amongst the youngsters lined along the wharves... And Uncle Dan Sturge knew by the quiet, by the still, by the sound the wind makes as it rounds the shape of a new grave, that he had lost his cherished wife."

The illustrations--including an annotated set of working proofs for "Portrait of Heber Fifield as a Great Mummer"--are also first rate. --Deirdre Hanna --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"David Blackwood: Master Printmaker pulls together more than 140 of the artist's prints in a beautifully designed tribute with exquisite, four-colour reproductions and a text by novelist, screenwriter, and fellow Newfoundlander William Gough." (Atlantic Books Today )

David Blackwood was born in 1941 in Wesleyville, Newfoundland, into a family with a long seafaring tradition. Today, he is recognized internationally as a master printmaker, and his work, rooted in the oral narrative tradition and strong social values of his birthplace, appears in collections all over the world. David Blackwood: Master Printmaker brings together 141 of the artist's most evocative etchings in a splendidly produced celebration of his work.

The book's text, by novelist, screenwriter and fellow Newfoundlander William Gough, depicts with poetic insight the unforgettable physical culture and landscape of David Blackwood's art. A detailed chronology presents the highlights of the artist's life and work. And novelist Annie Proulx, a fervent admirer and collector of David Blackwood's art, offers a moving appreciation of it here. Stunningly designed, featuring lush, four-colour images throughout, David Blackwood: Master Printmaker is a fitting tribute to an artist of true international renown.

(20051201)

William Gough is a poet and novelist. His previous books include the critically acclaimed Maud's House, Chips & Gravy and The Proper Lover. He is an award-winning television producer and screenwriter as well as an accomplished lyricist. He now resides in Victoria, BC, with his wife, the artist and writer Caren Moon.