12x48 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper on stained maple panel
$1600

The Jobs of Yesteryear series combines history and surrealism to tell the stories of obsolete jobs. A contemporary glimpse into the past, these mixed media paintings serve as a reminder of a time and stories long forgotten.

This particular Job of Yesteryear mixed media painting features shipbuilders. Shipbuilders have a specialized occupation that can be traced back to before recorded history. Seafaring vessels evolved over the centuries from simple rough-hewn canoes to massive three-masted carracks, capable of carrying freight and folks across oceans. The introduction of metal, first as copper sheathing to protect from shipworm and later as the modern welded steel vessels, greatly altered the work that shipbuilders did. Their legacy carries on in the construction of massive container ships that traverse (and occasionally block) the waterways of the world.

The Shipbuilders II was created with acrylic paint. The long-limbed character was cut from paper and collaged with kraft paper. The Jobs of Yesteryear are thought-provoking conversation pieces that will bring an air of history and whimsy to any room.