David Blackwood: Master Print Maker

by William Gough, Annie Proulx (Foreword)

David Master Printmaker is a stunning retrospective of the major works of one of Canada's most talented artists. Born in Wesleyville, Newfoundland, Blackwood grew up in a family with a long seafaring tradition. His great-grandfather was a captain; his grandfather was in command of the S.S. Imogene; and his father was a skipper in the fisheries. A strong history of oral narratives and the values of an active outport fuse with Blackwood's talent to produce works of art that speak in a unique voice. David Master Printmaker brings together 135 of the artist's most evocative etchings, reproduced in outstanding color on high quality paper. The book's large format grants each work a 10 1/2" x 11" page for generous viewing, and each print is accompanied by concise commentary by novelist, poet and fellow Newfoundlander William Gough. The artist himself has also contributed explanatory text to accompany a series of working prints. A chronology covers the highlights of the artist's life and work, and novelist Annie Proulx ( Shipping News ) offers a moving appreciation of the artist in the foreword. Newfoundland still considered itself a country when David Blackwood was born. People were united by their love for the sea and their total dependence upon it, and community ties ran deep and strong. Whether depicting the exhilaration of a ship's safe return from sea, the tragedy of lives lost to an angry ocean, or the quiet beauty of waiting at a window for a relative's return, Blackwood's prints are filled with story, drama and the deepest connections to a place and a people.

Genres: Art

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2001

Reviews

[Mike Parkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

More extensive selection of Blackwood's unique prints of Newfoundland outport life and landscapes than the more recent books ("Black Ice" and "Myth and Legend"), with larger reproductions as well. However, tonality is inconsistent - it's hard to reproduce the full tonal range of Blackwood's art on the printed page, and I felt many of the reproductions here are too light and are missing the striking jet-blacks in the original prints. "Black Ice" does better in that regard and still has most of his best work. Supplementary biography text is so-so, with little detail on printmaking technique, but that is also the case for the other two books. Either this or "Black Ice" can serve as a good overview of Blackwood's unique contribution to Canadian landscape art.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved these prints. They speak to where I live too, although the scenes are mostly Newfoundland..