Masonic Temple, Mendocino by Emmy Lou Packard

Masonic Temple, Mendocino by Emmy Lou Packard

Masonic Temple, Mendocino

Emmy Lou Packard

Please call us at 707-546-7352 or email artannex@aol.com to purchase this item.
Title

Masonic Temple, Mendocino

 
Artist
Year
1960  
Technique
two color woodcut 
Image Size
37 x 11 1/2" image size 
Signature
pencil, lower right 
Edition Size
not stated 
Annotations
pencil titled; penciled copyright symbol before signature 
Reference
Natsoulas catalog page 39, illustrated 
Paper
cream Japanese laid 
State
published 
Publisher
artist 
Inventory ID
24318 
Price
$700.00 
Description
The historic Masonic Hall in Mendocino, also known as the Masonic Hall and the Menodcino Lodge No. 179, California, features a hand-carved sculpture older than the building itself titled "Time and the Maiden" atop its cupola, created from the trunk of a single redwood tree by the temple's eventual architect, Erik Albertson. Intended simply as an object of personal craftsmanship, Albertson carved it at the mouth of nearby Big River - likely where the trunk drifted after coming loose from a raft of logs on their way to being processed for lumber. Within the shelter of a makeshift lean-to, and using only lamplight to work by, Albertson used hand chisels to complete the 10' sculpture. It was later used as a backdrop in the television shows "Murder, She Wrote" and "The Fugitive".

Emmy lou Packard pays tribute to the noted landmark in this two-color woodcut, the building gleaming white against black, and a moody sky, which incorporates the second color - deep navy blue - to achieve a foggy coastal drama. Packard had already established herself as a muralist, printmaker, painter, and labor activist in San Francisco when she moved to Mendocino in 1959. She remained there for fourteen years, during which time her love of the town and its stunning coastal environs became the driving force behind her organizing to save the famous headland bluffs, now a part of the Mendocino Headlands State Park. 

Please call us at 707-546-7352 or email artannex@aol.com to purchase this item.