“Racing to Tea Docks” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. Two China tea clippers depicted leaving for the London tea docks. The first to land with its precious cargo could claim higher prices, thus giving captain and crew a large bonus. Beautiful thick piece of mammoth bark perfect for this gem.
“Revenge of the Sirens” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory by David Adams. Remains of an unfortunate ship on the sea’s bottom. Two sirens are admiring their work, one resting, the other, inspecting the shattered masts and torn rigging. Fine detail in what is left of the ship. Unusual subject matter by the amazing Adams. A keeper!
“Storm Swept Ship” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth ivory by David Adams. Crewmen on deck busily batten down hatches, etc. Sudden storms were a constant. threat to marinerw without any long range weather reports. Check out the crew on deck and the size of the seas. Great work by Adams on this primo piece of mammoth ivory.
“Whaling Bark at Sea” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory by David Adams. Whaler knows time is money and is full rigged to get to the whaling grounds before others. Adams has done a masterful job on this gem. He is one of the most versatile scrimshanders working today. Beautiful piece of mammoth, by the way.
“Becalmed Whaler” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory by David Adams. Sometimes you just have to wait for a favorable wind. Excellent detail by Adams on this primo piece of mammoth ivory. Note the eagle on the stern. Nicely done.
“Crashing Through Heavy Seas” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth ivory bark by David Adams. Dramatic rendition of pounding heavy seas. The ships were built to withstand conditions such as this. Adams has done a great job capturing the actions. Fine work, indeed.
“Direct Hit” color scrimshaw on ancient mammoth ivory tusk bark by David Adams. Explosion rips open an unfortunate battleship. The captain seems to have put her in a strange position as she was unable to fire broadsides at the cunning opponent. Dramatic work by Adams on this one. The use of color intensifies the drama of the battle.
“Putting In” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth ivory tusk bark by David Adams. Abundant detail of whaler’s prow with rigging, masthead, etc. Scrimshander Adams has really brought the viewer right into the action as the whaleboat prepares to leave. Very well done.
“Wet Bengal Tiger” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. Bengal cooling off, happy as can be. Excellent detail in this portrait of the magnificent Bengal. Note the detail in the open mouth as well as the amazing feat of highlighting droplets of water. Artistic details such as this are what make Adams’ work so compelling. Primo piece of mammoth bark with no checks or lines. A winner.
“Amazing Bald Eagle” color scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory by David Adams. One of the strongest eagle portraits we have ever had. Adams has managed to perfectly capture the intensity of the magnificent bald eagle. The stipple work on the background is truly amazing. Note how the dark tones at the bottom highlight the subject matter. This takes dozens of hours work, not to mention taking experience and talent developed over decades of creating scrimshaw. A winner.