A work of art leads to a beautiful partnership!
The White Starfish, together with Matthew Smith, is pleased to announce their new endeavor to support our work. From now until the end of the year they will donate 25% of purchases of ANY Matthew Smith piece to WDC! Individuals who use the promo code "whales25" at check out ensure that 25% of their purchases will go directly to WDC!
View the work inspired by WDC here!
Artist Matthew Smith creates one of a kind, copper and wood block etchings in
his New Hampshire studio. Copper block etching has its roots in a 300 year old
Italian craft called Intaglio, a print making medium where acid is used to bore
into hand cut copper plates to create intricate scenes. Matthew has honed and
refined this technology to produce results which the early masters couldn't
imagine. As a result, Matthew's copper block etchings have spellbinding
color and tremendous depth which beautifully represent the ocean and sea life
he so dearly loves.
Matthew Smith:
"My
art is a labor of love and a tribute to the wild world around me. For over a
decade I was a commercial fishing captain; I saw both the immense beauty and
endless slaughter on my boats. I now pay homage to the lives I used to be
responsible for ending and to the magnificent scenery of the wild by creating
and preserving their beauty through my printmaking. After years spent in the wilderness – be
it far offshore in the oceans of the world or deep in the forests of New
Hampshire-I found there is something absolutely charming and
appealing about being in the wild. I have a deep respect for the
natural world around me, both at sea and on land. There is just a honesty
to everything wild that I really understand and appreciate. And I believe I
connect with people by the honesty of my work. It’s not just a picture of
a fish, or a whale, or a brook, it’s the truthfulness of the
handcraft presenting itself above all other things."
More About the artist:
He views most things in life—artwork, log-homebuilding, commercial fishing, collegiate wrestling—as a challenge to mentally engage in and physically address head on. He adapted that mentality to commercial fishing, which he pursued after earning an associate's degree in fisheries management at the University of Rhode Island. Seizing an opportunity that few young seamen encounter, he took command of the first of two 80-foot commercial trawlers, The Sundance, out of Newport, Rhode Island. He was only 22 years old, and he used his innate intuition and unyielding drive to out-wit the migrating pattern of fish and other fishermen. He quickly established a reputation for consistently filling his boat at a time when the great Georges Banks was opening up before him.
But his ambition to be the best commercial fishing boat captain in the Northeast took a detour on an eye-opening trip crewing with commercial fishing operations around the world. The epiphany struck him while standing amid acres of once beautiful salmon now frozen and stacked up like cord wood in a massive warehouse in Japan. In time, he realized mankind had gone way beyond subsistence fishing to the point of robbing the earth of one of its precious resources. As both a captain and a human being, he saw that commercial fishing had become too destructive, and ironically, so efficient as to push the very livelihoods of fishermen to the brink of extinction.
He knew the time for a change was on the horizon. So what else would someone who has made a life confronting challenges with his bare hands do but build a log cabin a mile into the dark New Hampshire woods … by himself.
Today, he continues to live with his dog Leo in the cabin he built in the woods on the edge of Quincy Pond, now his wellspring. Not surprisingly, his multi-level home is also his studio, where he commits the most powerful ideas that come to him in a flurry to paper or copper. He has produced thousands of hand-crafted prints while continuing to invent new techniques to more accurately capture the brilliance of the images he envisions.
About The White Starfish:
Founder: Nancy Wood
The White Starfish was founded during a morning walk on the beach, thinking about the little things that make me smile. I am an entrepreneurial woman who loves the ocean, walking with my dogs and spending quality time with my family. I grew up on the water and continue to draw my inspiration from the ocean and its ever changing nature. I think everyone could use a little inspiration!
The starfish logo represents regeneration and the belief that it is time for the regeneration of the American entrepreneurial spirit. My company is dedicated to promoting American artists and their products. We have put together a unique and creative collection of American made pieces chosen to inspire you and put a smile on your face! The artists we promote are truly passionate about their work and are creating pieces you will not find in the big box stores.
The starfish also represents my love for the sea and its creatures. One only has to look around to recognize the seas of our planet cannot take care of themselves alone; therefore we are committed to ocean related causes. There are many issues facing our oceans and the marine life which inhabit them; the first step in addressing these issues is to raise public awareness. Only through raising public awareness of these serious challenges can real change occur.
I invite everyone to join us in supporting American artists and ocean conservation!
Karen Costa – WDC Marketing and Outreach Manager on Nancy Wood:
“Nancy is one of the most inspired and impressive individuals I have encountered - She is a force of positive energy and endless creativity! Her dedication to think outside the box to find creative ways to amplify her interest in our work as well as enhance the support our work receives is astounding. It is a true pleasure to work with her and I am so thankful that we are able to collaborate on this project. Nancy’s work to pair inspirational artists with worthy causes is a true art all in itself and it is nothing short of magic!”