Scope and Contents

This plan for a projected U-boat sculpture depicts line drawings of a conning tower separated by a moat from a cow staring at it. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents From Jan 1971-Jan 1972, Basil Greenhill, Director National Maritime Museum, writes 3 letters to Finlay regarding a commission for a sundial. In April 1972, Finlay writes 2 letters to Michael Harvey dealing with aspects of this sundial. Harvey responds in May 1972 with concerns about images on the cube shape making up the sundial particularly leaving the top blank - "as if whatever should be there had been pinched" and placing the poem on the dial which might interrupt the flow of the poem. Finlay replies to Harvey about his concern about the blank top of the sundial by pointing out that this may be a matter of scale; he feels that the blank top will not compromise the work in an 8" or 10" version but agrees that the sundial will do best at the top. He also accepts Harvey's suggestions for words at the top of the panels but rejects Harvey's idea for using Arabic rather than Roman numerals. Finlay notes the pun on the image of a fleet of ships (fleet=swift, fleet=of hours). In July...

Scope and Contents

In July, Finlay writes to Harvey with instructions for two poem-prints, Homage to Malevich & Homage to Lax, & cover for Littack. Detailed instructions are included solely for the Malevich piece. Harvey returns drawings, comments about them & demonstr point by cutting the letter. With minor corrections, Finlay is happy with the drawings. Harvey notes that the chalky effect for the Malevich print will not work with silkscreen. In August, Finlay instructs Stellar Press to make print as a lithograph. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents In May 1973, Finlay writes to Harvey that L. MacDermid suggested to the Kelso City Council that a permanent work of Finlay's be installed at the opening of the Kelso arts festival in Sep 1973. Finlay is unsure of the scale, price and type of work desired but proposes three sundials and considers A Solemnity of Sundials (from Sailor's Calendar) most appropriate because Kelso is on the Tweed river (a salmon river) & Solemnity depicts sundials, swallows & fish. He wants Harvey to provide sketches. Within 2 weeks Harvey does the sketches, preferring A Solemnity of Sundials to the other suggestion, Dividing the Light (from Poetry Review). A sketch of Solemnity is included in this archive. In June 1973, Finlay writes to L. MacDermid with his ordered preferences for a vertical sundial, Dividing...,A Solemnity...& A Garden of Sea-Stones with rationale for each in the city of Kelso. He also praises Harvey for his quick dispatch. Finlay writes MacDermid about the final plans in...

Scope and Contents In July 1972, Mr. Greenhill, Director of the National Maritime Museum, sends Finlay a letter thanking him for donated prints and catalogues and mentions the validity of depicting "Little Secret" on stone as an average topsail schooner. The next letter from Finlay to George Thomson dated Dec 1973 discusses the significance of a printer's sign (meaning reverse order of letters) and the drawing of the image for "Little Secret." Finlay also sends a letter to James Allen requesting red sandstone for this project. In June 1974, Thomson sends a letter to Finlay in a exceptional calligraphic script indicating that illness has prevented him from completing "Numbered Sails" (aka Little Secret). Finlay sends further details to Allen about the stone for the sculpture. Finlay writes Thomson in June with corrections to his drawing and indicates that Allen will do the stone carving. Thompson replies in July with an outstanding calligraphic script agreeing to these corrections which Finlay...

Scope and Contents

In Sep 1973, Finlay writes to Michael Harvey requesting that Harvey and Goodricke make a ceramic-concrete maquette, based upon a Ron Costley sketch, for the Stuttgart Max Plank project. Finlay provides detailed instructions on the lettering for the work. A month later, he comments on the Harvey efforts indicating that he wants a "Matisse'y" effect which depends upon a flat surface as opposed to a kinetic effect that looses the balance between the visual and the word part. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The card from the Archive might never have been released for distribution and is catalogued as a separate entry in the database. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The drawings were preparatory for a garden sculpture in Stonypath as documented in the photograph. One drawing depicts the Panzer Leader, a turtle with the title inscribed on its shell, head on, and the other, two drawings with top and side projections -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The sketch is titled "Hommage to John Betjeman," and this is a subtitle that also appears on the card. The card depicts ships alongside a list of their female names. On the proof copy, instructions have been written by Finlay to "Lighten grey/green" color in which the card is printed. The trade copy has this corrected color. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents In this Archive, Finlay indicates that this booklet is a collection of 'one-word poems' about boats. The boats are illustrated, as types, in silhouette-form, and the words are to be thought of as being a kind of 'verbal silhouette' or boat-epigram. He explains the reasons for selection of the boat types into the booklet and states that "the idea will be to keep the printed text the same size - as it were - as the illustrations, so that the text can be thought of as kind of a 'verbal' silhouette." These instructions are provided to Laurie Clark for the illustrations and to Michael Harvey for the text layout. In a letter dated 15 August 1973 to Tom and Laurie Clark about the project, he discusses the writings of Simone Weil, is pleased that they liked "Straiks," brings up the Fulcrum Press controversy, mentions ideas for the illustrations of "Silhouettes" that Laurie should draw, and recommends two books to be read. In a letter dated 1 October 1973 to Tom and Laurie Clark, Finlay...

Scope and Contents

In Sep 1973, Finlay writes to Coburn Britton, editor of Prose Magazine in NYC, with suggestions for submitting a piece involving captioned sundials and an adaptation from 17th century sermons. In Nov 1973, Britton replies that such a work is not suitable for his magazine. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

Finlay proposes a collaboration with a Kelso jewelry maker, Norman Cherry, for a tea-mine. Finlay imagines a small metal object which should resemble a round metal object with protruding horns. this will unscrew into 2 parts so that tea can be put int it. It will then be posible to dangle it at th end of a chain to make tea. He encloses a diagram of a mine frm a naval book on mines to illustrate his point (diagram not in Archive). Since Cherry did not reply, this project was probably unrealized. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

In Oct 1973, Harvey writes to Finlay with descriptions of proposals for the Portsmith City Art Project, viz., Water's & Sky's Hours and Numbered Sails. He also sends Finlay drawings which are cataloged separately in the Sackner Archive. Finlay replied within a week with minor modifications prior to their submission into the competition. He adds a note of encouragement to Harvey, "So the question is, who will get the Third Prize (As we have won the First and Second)." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The Archive consists of drawings of highly stylized images of boats on papercard with typed captions pasted to the papercard support. A sheet of translucent paper stapled to the papercard has ink-drawn additions to the boats and handwritten instructions to the printer. One drawing of swatches of colored inks, provides the color key for the ink drawings. Two red colored papers are also provided as color guides. Handwritten and typed instructions for layout appear on stapled pages. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents In an Oct 1973 letter to John Andrew, Finlay begins by clearing up details on the gnomon in the Dividing the Light Sundial project. He then describes Torso Aircraft Carrier & refers to photographs of a wooden torso carrier which had been made in collabora with John Thorpe. He proposes two projects to Andrew, one made in stone as essentially a variation on the wooden version and a sequel titled the Archaic Carrier by using material of rough, crumbled or pitted stone, an Archaic fragment. In Oct 1973, Finlay acknowledges receipt of drawings for the bronze medals from Andrew but is dissatisfied with them, drops this project, and indicates that he wants to restrict his collaboration to the Aircraft Carrier Torso project. He mentions that he intends to site the piece in his front garden beside the Aircraft Carrier Bird-Bath and requests that a light-colored stone be utilized for its fabrication. He states that he will send Andrew a drawing, model airplanes and references (none of...

Scope and Contents

The small drawings of airplanes with typed captions were done by Tissiman who signed the perforated page from which the drawings were cut. The drawings in turn were taped to each page in the booklet. The single page in Finlay's handwriting lists the text for the pages of the booklet. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The drawing depicts an oil tanker ship on translucent paper which has been glued to heavy papercard stock. Both typed and handwritten text are present on verso as layout instructions. The drawing has been perforated to accomodate one metal paperclip which is of smaller size than the finished card. The card in this Archive has only three paperclips in contrast to the final version which has four of them. The two nonperforated cards were probably part of an overrun. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

The stapled pages consist of Finlay's handwritten text and drawing of the Norfolk Wherry, a type of sailing ship. The maquette with calligraphic, printed letterforms and a drawing of a Norfolk Wherry was made by Michael Harvey. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents

Finlay provides instructions to John Thorpe, a woodcarver, for making a wooden sundial at Stonypath. He also explains the poem that he has written after Claudel, the French poet, translated by Edward Lucie-Smith. The poem was supposed to be written on a fan with fan its first word, but in Finlay's version "fan" is eliminated since the dial itself is fanlike. The poem begins, viz., "Poems written upon the breath" (metaphor for breeze). Harvey's letters deal with the drawings. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.