Lines redefined

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Creative ability knows no borders. Both sophisticated academy-trained artists and islanders from Barbados creating souvenirs for sailors can raise their skills to the level of art. At the Brandywine River Museum, two different shows demonstrate aptly art is where you find it. In "American Etchers Abroad, 1880-1939," the museum presents a show that chronicles American artist drawn to etching and their development of that craft in Europe. In "Treasures from the Sea: Sailors’ Valentines and Shellwork," the museum exhibits a variety of seashells that have been manipulated, carved, decorated and sculpted for the tourist trade.

Etching is a print-making technique that first developed around the turn of the 16th century. The process seems complicated with a copper plate coated with wax and the artist using a sharp instrument to draw into that wax. The result is dipped in a series of acid baths that bite into the copper where the wax has been scraped away. The wax is then cleaned off and the plate covered with ink which sinks into the acid-cut grooves. That excess is carefully wiped away and the result is then pressed into a print.

The process underwent a revival in the late 19th century when the popular press began to bulge with readers demanding illustrations, which needed to be reprinted with speed and fidelity to the subject. It also was felt etching was an intimate process that captured an artist’s vision.

In the 1880s, American artists began to explore abroad and this show, which comprises some 59 prints by 32 artists, looks at that particular slice of art. In addition to the well known – Mary Cassatt, Joseph Pennell and James Abbott McNeill Whistler – the exhibition offers lesser-known works by John Taylor Arms, Samuel Chamberlain, Louis Rosenberg, Thomas Handforth, Lester Hornby and Herman Armour Webster.

Organized by the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas, the show in Chadds Ford is complemented with works from the Brandywine collection, including Robert Shaw, Marguerite Kirmse, Blanche Dillaye, Wuantia Smith and Daniel Garber.

The second exhibition has roots in Barbados where islanders sold shellwork to visiting sailors. At one point, it was thought the work and so-called "sailor’s valentines" were created at sea by the sailors themselves. After all, they often had time on their hands and there was a rich tradition of sailors spending time at scrimshaw, wool embroidery and macram� as presents for shore-bound loved ones.

However, the types of shells (mostly from the West Indies) and the similarity of pattern seems to indicate a single source. The "valentines," also called "shell mosaics," were first considered trivial, then curious, followed by fashionable and, finally, art. Basically, it is a collage of colored shells set in a wooden frame with separators. The shells are glued in place and covered with glass. Sometimes two such collages would be hinged together to form a protective case that was called a "double sailors’ valentine."

Since shells were rare and exotic, they were in great demand, leading to mass production and, soon, gaudy trash. Now, however, the specialty has gathered new interest and even modern artists are once again working with shells. One of the intriguing off-shoots of the shell game was the development of skilled carpentry in the form of display cases for the size and variety of shell. They were like printers’ trays once used for lead type, but 50 years ago were esteemed as items to display knick knacks.

My friend Sue had one. And I can’t resist the temptation: Now, Sue sells seashells by the seashore.

American Etchers Abroad, 1880-1939
Through Sept. 4

Treasures from the Sea: Sailors’ Valentines and Shellwork
Through July 23
Brandywine River Museum
Route 1, Chadds Ford
Admission: $8 for adults; $5 for seniors, students with identification and ages 6-12; free for ages under 6
610-388-2700
www.brandywinemuseum.org