28" x 24" Framed

1977

Edition 75/100

In 1977, Art Thompson created a series of prints based on sea creatures, colloquially referred to as The Seafood Series. These five prints depicted sea creatures in a playful and unconventional manner. Many of the prints that Art created were based on historical Nuu-chah-nulth formline design and subject matter, but The Seafood Series demonstrated his ability to produce something that was new and experimental while still being recognizably West Coast. Comprised of the Mussel, the Barnacle, the Clam, the Halibut, and the Cod Fish, this series represents the Coastal peoples' reverence for sea creatures and the sustenance they provide.  

The different species of clam once formed and continues to be a substantial part of the diet of Northwest Coast Indigenous groups. Fresh clams were traditionally steamed in pits and eaten with seal grease. They were also strung on cedar bark strips and dried and smoked to preserve them for winter use. Deep deposits of discarded clam shells at ancient village sites attest to the quantities of this shellfish harvested over thousands of years. 

Here the artist brightly visualizes the clam in somewhat human form as it digs itself down into the sand with its feet. Geometric shapes are used in this print to indicate the sand.

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