For your consideration is a signed original, "The Indian Coast" by Elton Bennett, a silkscreen or what he called "the gentle art of serigraph." In the painting, the native boats have reef nets spread onto the two boats and the shoreline, the fishermen are sitting close to a fire on a dune and appear to be praying as was and still is customary before and after a fish harvest. Silk screen printing was artist Elton Bennett's chosen medium. Using silkscreens allowed him to vary the work by changing the colors and recombining or reusing elements to the point where a work was never finished and continually evolving - he could always tinker with it and improve it more. For example, a catalog of his artwork might include multiple images of a scene such as "Around the Cape" using different color pallets, such as blues, gold, greens, etc. or the same middle-background sailing ship may appear in multiple scenes such as "Down to the Sea", "Return to the River", and "Forest of Spars". The coast of the Pacific Northwest, the sea, ships, and landscapes that Bennett grew up with and worked among were his primary subjects. People are relatively rare, and almost never the main subject, appearing as silhouettes on shore or on a ship. Often the rain and weather of the north pacific coast are nearly as prominent as the main subject. These elements often contribute to a peaceful loneliness in the images. The subjects also very much reflect the technology of the early period of his life. Tall ships, steam ships and old lumber mills are often featured in his prints. Sometimes the transition in technology is represented, as with the steam tug-boat pulling the sailing ship in "Down to the Sea" or the inboard-powered, double-ended fishing troller passing the schooner going the opposite direction in "Journey into Silence".
This artwork is in good condition, in a double matted gold gilt trimmed wood frame. Visible art measures 17.25"H x 23"W, frame is 25.5"H x 30.5"W