“The First Captain of the Morgan” black and white scrimshaw on ancient walrus tusk ivory by David Adams. Brilliant composition by Adams on this one. Focusing on the hull and rigging draws one right into the scene and compliments the stunning portrait of Captain Thomas A. Norton. This piece of ivory was initially thought to be not suitable for scrimshaw; however, we had it polished and this is the result. Stunning! This was “beach ivory” and the back side has been worn to a smooth surface as it rolled around on the beach. We always look forward to Adams scrimshaw creations and are ever disappointed as can be seen here. Handsome cocobolo stand completes the picture.
“Duckling Trio” color scrimshaw on ancient walrus tusk ivory by David Adams. Adorable ducklings appear to be waiting for their mother. They all have that “where is she” look. Great work by Adams. You can see the soft feathers on their backs.
“Wolf on the Prowl” color scrimshaw on ancient walrus tusk ivory by David Adams. Alpha wolf has zeroed in on something interesting. This is not one wolf to be taken lightly. Adams has captured the feel of the wolf as well as the intense look. Great work here. Tasteful stand completes the picture.
“Lemurs Mother and Child” color scrimshaw on ancient walrus tooth ivory by David Adams. Bright eyed lemurs are found only on Madagascar, off the coast of Africa. They actually have two tongues and spend their lives in trees. Adams always comes up with interesting subjects.
“Ring-Tailed Lemur” color scrimshaw on ancient walrus tooth ivory by David Adams. Unusual subject matter for wildlife scrimshaw, but Adams always comes through. In over four decades of seeing first rate scrimshaw, this is the first ring-tailed lemur I have come across. Just had to find out more. This is from the internet:
Lemurs are mammals of the order Primates, divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are native only to the island of Madagascar. Most existing lemurs are small, have a pointed snout, large eyes, and a long tail. They chiefly live in trees, and are active at night.
“Fawn waiting for Doe” color scrimshaw on ancient walrus tooth ivory by David Adams. Excellent work on this one by Adams. The solid black background gives the impressions of a cave or cavity of a huge redwood tree that offers protection for the fawn, waiting for his mom to return. Adams’ wildlife is simply outstanding. Not many working on this level today.
“Leopard Hunting at Night” color scrimshaw on ancient walrus tooth ivory by David Adams. Intently searching from an outcrop, the leopard hunts unseen by his prey. Adams’ work just gets better and better. He works each piece, regardless of the size, to the best of his ability. Nice ebony and mammoth ivory stand complete the picture.
“Barn Owl in Full Moon” stunning portrait of a barn owl as a full moon rises in the background done on pre-ban African Ivory by Mary Byrne and David Adams. Backstory on this gem: Years ago I sent several ivory pieces to Byrne for Scrimshaw Gallery. Recently, I asked her to return them as she no longer was creating scrimshaw. She had begun the barn owl in black and white. Why polish this off? Adams agreed to take on the task and finish the piece. A once in a lifetime collaboration by two of the very best scrimshanders ever. I asked both to sign it which they did. Obviously, there will never be another one like this.
Notice:
This scrimshaw is done on pre-ban African ivory. Since the passage of the CITIES Treaty in 1973, there has been no African ivory brought into the U.S. However, ivory that was in the U.S. prior to 1973 can be legally sold and shipped within the U.S. However, new legislation taking effect in 2016 restricts pre-ban African Ivory from being shipped interstate. It can only legally be shipped intrastate, (within the state). All of our pre-ban ivory is located with our associate in the state of Florida. It can be purchased directly from our website and shipped only to an address within the state of Florida. If one has a relative, trusted friend or business associate within the state of Florida, we can ship to that specified address in order to comply with the new Federal legislation. The scrimshaw can then be forwarded it to you and everyone complies with the law. Any questions email or call us.
“Clash of the Cats” color scrimshaw on ancient walrus tusk by David Adams. Five absolutely stunning panels depicting the power and beauty of Bengal tigers. Each one of these panels would be an incredible stand alone work by itself, but combined on one complete walrus tusk make this one extra, extra special. One really has to study this very closely. The three scenes with water are exceptional. The turmoil of the above water clash, matched with the amazing underwater scene is in a class by itself. There is a tremendous amount of work in this one. This the the work of an artist at his very best. Obviously, Adams did not begin his scrimshaw work on this level, but after several decades of constantly working and evolving, he has reached a level that few artists ever achieve in the scrimshaw world. It stands with the best ever done. Yes, it is that good.
“Great Blue Heron” (Ardea herodias) color scrimshaw on ancient walrus tusk ivory by David Adams. Love the composition of this beautiful work by Adams. The ancient walrus tusk was split down the middle at some time in the past and Adams picked up on the sharp, pointed end as inspiration for the spear like beak of the blue heron. Brilliant. The complex stipple work in the background is simply amazing as well. The Bolivian rosewood stand itself is another work of art. In fact, everything works together in this one. Really like it.