I thank Kay and John Snow who have provided sustenance and nurturing; my wife, Mary Dee-Smylie, for constant support; Perry’s Framer in Toronto who assisted with supplying the framing materials; and the Ontario Arts Council for a material assistance grant and funds for the exhibition. I would also like to thank Joan Murray and the Robert McLaughlin Gallery staff.

Barry Smylie, 1988

I thought this would be a good occasion to republish the catalog for "Barry Smylie, Lithographer" which Joan Murray wrote for my 1988 show at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery which she curated.

This showing and translation of the paper catalog are published with permissions from The Robert McLaughlin Gallery and Joan Murray, April 2003.

Ms. Murray arranged the showing in a chronology of the work I did in Durham County in Southern Ontario between 1984 to 1987. The show is interesting because of that and misleading too. I was making four pieces at once. Since I didn't have a levigator, I was grinding one limestone on another. I didn't want to waste the old, valuable lime stones so I designed 4 images at one time on four separate stones. I was working on several series and themes at once. I wanted to expand the idea of "series" so that I would not become bored exploring only one possible direction at one time. I wanted to learn as much as I could about what the old, original, lime stone based lithographic medium is capable of in my hands.

All the prints in "Barry Smylie: Lithographer" are a part of the larger internet showing called "The Edge". I continued to make lithographs in the 11 x 15 (1/4 sheet of BFK Rives 22 x 30, 250 gram rag paper) format until 1993 when I retired my press and stones.

All the editions are of about 20 prints.

Barry Smylie, 2003