The Art Within Your Ordanary Classic Boat Stuff.
Over the last couple months I have been noticing the wonderful art work that lies deep with in some ordinary stuff that one might have gotten back in the day as usable information. back in the day, getting photograph taken was a bit more of a challenge and printing technology was of such that a simple illustration was the way to go.
One color simple art says so much more!
I am sadly old enough to remember those days. Where a two color print job was a fraction of the cost of 4 color. So artists would be hired to figure out how to communicate with art. Today’s found art is from a Fishing In Kentucky guide book I just found on ebay. When you isolate the art, its cool stuff for sure.
Here is the cover. A simple illustration, but has amazing texture
Your not that old Matt……..
Yes he is.
I feel that old. HA, BTW, stay tuned, your gonna be a happy camper!
You think you feel old? I was walking (limping) the aisles at Lowes yesterday and got passed by an octogenarian with a walker.
As for the art, it is always interesting how economic and technology limits influence art and design. Often the creative solutions to these barriers leads to something better than if the artist were unconstrained.
Now, that’s funny, right there…
That is great period art……but showing it as a stern drive…..yuk!
John in Va.
Ah, the STERNDRIVE… another WIN for Wynn!
…and the best way to get a push from behind! 🙂
Great art from a vanished time. My best friends Mother was a classically trained artist. She worked for years with BELL Canada producing everything from door lettering to marketing and POS art. I wish there were more artists like this around these days (so most transom “art” wasn’t just computer cut vinyl). There have been some great examples of transom art here on WoodyBoater recently.
My uncle was a printer in a small printing company in Detroit. He spent some time in Germany training on the presses that could do the first high resolution multi color printing for magazine covers and advertising material. His company purchased the German equipment when he returned. He would show us samples of his work, and it blew us away back in the 50’s. Other than loosing part of two fingers in press accidents over the years, he loved his job!
Ronnie and I won a prize at one of our Chapters Poker Run last year. It was a water color picture of a late 50’s Century Arabian. What was special to us is two fold; the boat I owned at the time I met my wife to be back in 1990, was an Arabian, but the water color painting was made by the farther of one of our chapter member, Wendy
Mersman. Her dad worked for Century during the 50’s and 60’s and drew most of the brochure art work for each model! The Mersman’s are good friends of ours and be were honored to hang that water color picture on our wall
Here is the picture.
It is cool to see how “ordinary” work in it’s time becomes nostalgic with the passing of time.
I see this as a perfect example for Troy to go all out and post all of his “art”, so,!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This may be more than two color but is this the kind of thing you are thinking of Doug P?
Oops! Here it is.
Smokin’
i too grew up in a printing family, as i recall it was also the expense of the seperations for 4 color process that limited many people from doing full color. its amazing that we can all do that today on our desk tops.
i to spent time in the hospital when the press sucked in my left hand, thank God it was in cleaning mode or i would have a stump today!
I agree with you Matt, on rare occasions I have stumbled across extraordinary marine illustrations plunked into the most unlikely publications!
The Rotarian 2 color artwork of Miss America is amazing.
I too am old enough to remember the 4 color printing process and the huge costs to have it done properly. In marketing, we often had to settle for 2 color separation art due to budget constraints, so we had to make the best of it.
Maybe that’s why we have a special appreciation for 2 color art today.
Some creative artwork from the folks at Chris-Craft back in 1943. Many messages here – Buy War Bonds, introduction of conceptual models for the future, etc.
Neat stuff
I had a Penn-Yan with a 4cyl. Volvo much like the boat in the header. What a great little cruiser.
Given that the brochure is from my home state of Kentucky, it may not be all that old. It has been said that we are a little behind the times. Even Mark Twain remarked that “If the world is ending, he was gonna go to Kentucky. Everything there happens ten years later.”
Agree Matt. Some of these illustrations were absolutely beautiful. Back in the 50s the NZ Government had a huge studio of artists who produced wonderful images for the young tourism industry here. Film Director Peter Jackson has a comprehensive collection of them. I still reckon the Pontiac art of the 60’s takes a bit of beating.
Here’s another of my favorites.
Yeah! AF & VK……art heroes to car-addled would-be creatives!
http://www.fitzart.com
Love the renderings from the Pontiac Division in the 60’s Philip. If I recall correctly, they made the cars appear wide to promote the “wide track” marketing concept.
http://youtu.be/mNudCFQlnlA
Art from a 1936 childrens book
Take a look at this one shot by a Hagerty photographer at the Michigan Chapter show in Saint Clair Michigan last summer of my XK22 last summer. Soo00 cool!!
I’ve got as nice collection of 50’s-vintage boating magazines like Yachting, MotorBoating, and The Rudder; the cover illustrations are just incredibly beautiful, and the advertising and content of these magazines is fascinating for anyone interested in the historical context of pleasure boating.
Look on ebay for this stuff; the annual ‘show number’ issues are usually twice as thick with content, and showcase the new boats and equipment for any given year…very fun to have some of these around, especially at boat shows!
1965 Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co brochure illustrations
That is a VERY nice canoe!
But you know I am a Cruiser guy.