SCRIMSHAW ARTIST View all David Adams scrimshaw pieces Scrimshaw artist biography coming soon.
“Woman in White” color scrimshaw on ancient walrus tusk ivory by David Adams. Etherial portrait of a beautiful woman in white, somewhere in an opening deep in the forest. Sunlight illuminates her expressive upturned face. One can only wonder what thoughts she has at this moment. This took a great deal of work by Adams. Not easy to completely black out the background, leaving just enough for the touch of green leaves and branches. Love the coloring of the moss covered boulder upon which she is perched. Beautiful, touching work by one of the best working today. Very heavy piece of ancient walrus tusk ivory, by the way. Custom stand completes the picture.
“Sailing Along the Coast” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory by David Adams. Two cargo ships hug the coastline as they approach their destination. Highly detailed work here. Note the intricate work on the ship’s rigging. Adams never “mails it in”. First rate work all the time. Stunning piece of cocobolo completes the picture.
“Dragon Nest with Eggs” color scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. Outstanding composition on this gem. Note the way Adams has shaded the dragon nest with the far side barely visible, cloaked in fog, while the near side has full details of the materials used in the construction of this massive nest. Dragons were not small creatures. One dragon egg has just hatched and the attentive mother dragon is checking to see if the youngster is healthy. The remaining two eggs will hatch very soon. Not the ususal scrimshaw motif, but not every collector wants a ship or whale. One of the reasons why contemporary scrimshaw is so popular. Very few scrimshanders working today would even attempt this, much less pull it off so successfully. A keeper all the way around.
“Gale Force Seas” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. Versatile scrimshander, Adams, has done it again. Beautifully composed portrait of a fearless clipper plowing through very heavy seas. Excellent detail on the ship’s prow. Nice touch.
“Downeaster Heading Out” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. Cargo ship has lett the harbor and is heading down to New York. The last sight of land can be seen on the horizon behind the vessel. Very tight work by Adams on th is one. Excellent opportunity to add a nautical piece to one’s collection.
“Battle of the Ironclads – 1862” black and white scrimshaw on ancient walrus tusk ivory by David Adams. Famous Civil War battle scene that Adams brings alive. Very thick and heavy piece of ancient walrus tusk ivory mounted on one of the best pieces of cocobolo that we have seen. Information from the internet:
The clash between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (built from the remains of the USS Merrimack) at the Battle of Hampton Roads (March 9, 1862) is historically significant because it was the first-ever combat between ironclad warships. This event instantly rendered the world’s wooden navies obsolete and marked the dawn of modern armored, steam-powered naval warfare.
“BLUENOSE II” color scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. Highly detailed work on a primo piece of mammoth ivory. Note the crewmen working under the huge mailsail. Mounted on a first class stand of wenge, koa and mammoth ivory, this one is special. Information taken from the Bluenose II website follows:
Bluenose II was launched at Lunenburg on 24 July 1963, built to original plans and by some of the same workers at Smith and Rhuland.[2] The original captain of Bluenose, Angus J. Walters, was consulted on the replica’s design.[2] The replica was commissioned by Sidney Culverwell Oland for roughly $300,000 (2.5 million in 2020 Canadian dollars) as a marketing tool for their Schooner Lager beer brand.[2]
The ship has one of the largest mainsails in the world, measuring 386 square metres (4,150 ft2). She has a total sail area of 1,036 square metres (11,150 ft2).
“Bengal Cooling” color scrimshaw on ancient walrus tusk ivory artifact by David Adams. Bengals love water and this one seems to be having a great time. Note the reflection in the water, whiskers and coat. Incredible work by Adams here. The ivory was used as an ice axe hundreds of years ago in the Northern Bering sea area. It is quite heavy; the back side shows how it was worked. There was just a hint of workable surface on the front side and see what Adams had created. The dark chasms in the background had no workable surface, but Adams created the side of the mountain with the stream running down the crevice. Brilliant touch. This illustrates how he studies the complete piece before beginning his work. Elegant stand completes the picture. A keeper if there ever was one!
“LIght Seas” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. Not a great deal of breeze for this vessel, so all the sails are up. Excellent detail on the prow. Notice the figures of the men working. Adams always creates amazingly precise works. Mounted on a primo stand of cocobolo, this would make a fine addition to any scrimshaw collection.