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The poem to be inscribed as "A Man of Letters R.L.S." on a formal stone with irregular edges is inscribed with a 'one-word poem' and set in the grass within a small grove of birch trees" -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The poem printed on this card relates to color of sails. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The line (sentence) on the inside of the unfolded card reads, "The mute dispenser of the vernal shower." Vernal means youth or pertaining to spring and "vernal shower." It was utilized in a poem by Thomas Gray (British, 1771-1771) as "Sweet is the breath of vernal shower,The bee's collected treasures sweet, Sweet music's melting full, but sweeter yet. The still small voice of gratitude." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The image on this card reads in bold type "Arcadia." Below it in smaller type is W.D. Property. The latter relates to the action taken by the Strathclyde Region taxation office on Little Sparta in 1995. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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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...

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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...

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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 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...

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The words, Beautiful Kydippe, incised into a tree-bark by Callimachus (270 B.C.) are transcribed into a stone plaque (print image) shaped to the trunk of a tree. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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This is a commercial Swiss match box that advertises a night club, 'Hot Lemon.' Finlay has printed in the same typography on the opposite side, 'Blue Lemon.' The poem that substitutes for the address site of "Hot Lemon" reads, Moray Firth Seine Netter - Fruition - Port Letters / Fishing Nos. INS265. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The inside of a Swan Vestas match box was modified to display an image of a sailboat on folded papercard. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.