Tuesday 10 February 2009

More thole pin rhythm

The utterly perfect illustration for the poem Thole Pin Rhythm is this picture of a Maine fisherman checking his lobster pots from a peapod.
The picture is by marine illustrator Sam Manning, who rows his own dory out of Camden, Maine. And yes, the boat has thole pins. He and his wife Susan row every day, which this time of year involves breaking the ice around the boat with poles before setting out with that thole pin rhythm.
Sam is well known for his illustrations for The Dory Book by John Gardner, and his regular drawings for Wooden Boat magazine. His work is renowned for its accuracy and clear detail, but I particularly like the clear lines, reminiscent of the great woodblock engravers like Gibbings or Ravilious. There is a great selection of Sam's illustrations here, courtesy of Maine Boats magazine.
(Thanks to Joe Deslauriers for sending the photo and a copy of Maine Boats with a great article about Sam)

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