Maker :: Eric Beck
Tarnished Oar Fish
27" x 10"
Eric Beck arrived on Cape Cod in 1972 when he married a Provincetown native. He has continued to live in Provincetown all these years yet still considers himself a "washashore". Currently, a retired science teacher of 33 years from Provincetown High School, he is able to focus more energy to new projects. His lifelong relationship with the ocean has helped shape his life. Being an avid sailor and fishermen as well as working summers at the local boatyard has helped form a unique appreciation for the sea. As a skilled craftsman and carpenter it's only natural that his creative outlets began to assemble unusual pieces of furniture and art.
Most recently this art has manifested itself as whimsical fish sculptures created by using old tools, rusted or corroded metal, brass clock parts, as well as broken rudders and nautical items. These fish reflect an eye for symmetry as well as proportionality, each new piece carefully added after being selected from a collection of rusty castoffs. Each assemblage is deliberately left in a raw unpolished state with sharp points and edges clearly exposed. After several pieces being well received at a Helltown Gallery showing he became encouraged to continue pursuing this vein of expression. Each fish is unique in its size, shape, and composition, as well as the stories behind some of their parts.