Norton's Cove Mini-Prints

Each Norton's Cove Mini-Print is an original work of art hand-made in Newfoundland at Norton's Cove Studio.

Janet Davis draws and carves images onto linoleum, then rolls archival ink onto that lino-cut printing matrix.  She transfers the ink to cotton fibre paper on an etching press, creating a unique and embossed print every time the process is repeated.  The process does not use any computerized nor electrified equipment.

Designs are printed in ink and placed on drying racks; after a few days' drying time, some designs are hand-tinted using watercolour or acrylic paints.  

• 'antique white' cotton fibre paper
• original lino-cut relief print
• open edition
• signed by the artist
• matted to fit a standard 5x7 inch frame
• Available in a variety of ink colours, including rainbow rolls and solids
  
• also available in an 8x10 inch frame [See HERE]

If there is a colour option you'd like that isn't in stock, contact us to have them printed especially for you!

*This page is presently being updated, and so some photographs, and other information is missing.  Please bear with me as I get this finished!  JD

Bakeapple

Rubus chamaemorus is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, native to cool temperate regions, alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. This herbaceous perennial produces amber-colored edible fruit similar to the blackberry. ~Wikipedia

Blue Flag

Iris versicolour is also commonly known as the blue flag, harlequin blue flag, larger blue flag, northern blue flag, and poison flag, plus other variations of these names, and in Britain and Ireland as purple iris. It is a species of Iris native to North America, in the Eastern United States and Eastern Canada. ~Wikipedia

Brookfield Home

This is kind-of a likeness of my own home, built ~1884 for Captain Job & Virtue [nee Hann] Kean, and my home since 2007.  The house is a far cry from its former glory which boasted an adjoining servants quarters and a third floor with the Southcott style mansard roof, but it's still a beautiful place to call home, and we're glad that we could make it ours!

By Lamplight

After my first couple of years in business, I was doing so poorly financially that the electric company cut the power to my building.  I needed to update my business plan, which included making a new product line that I could sell to other shops- Norton’s Cove Cards.  I made the first 5 Norton’s Cove Card designs by lamplight in my studio!  That's why the #justacard campaign speaks to me so loudly!

This particular lamp came from my Aunt Geraldine & Uncle Donald's house in Newtown.  It reminds me of the Buddy Wasisname & the Other Fellas' song By the Glow of the Kerosene Light, and both the brutality and the romance of an era before electricity came to outport Newfoundland.

Capelin

The capelin or caplin is a small forage fish of the smelt family found in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Arctic oceans. In summer, it grazes on dense swarms of plankton at the edge of the ice shelf. Larger capelin also eat a great deal of krill and other crustaceans. ~Wikipedia

Caplin Cove

Drawn from a little cove within the bigger area of Cape Freels.  And yes, caplin do roll on the beach there!  Cape Freels is a short drive from Norton's Cove Studio, and has one of my all time favourite walking trails and miles of white sandy beaches.  Designed August 2023.

Caribou

Drawn from a pin worn by soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, this updated caribou image is in honour of the 100th anniversary of the first World War.  Lest we forget.

*This image has been discontinued- the linoleum printing plate has worn out.  I have no intention to recreate the printing plate.

Codfish

The Atlantic Cod has an elongated body that varies in colour from brownish to greenish to grey with small, dark spots on its back. The cod's pale lateral line is curved above the pectoral fins. It has a single, well-developed barbel – or whisker – on its chin. On average, the size at maturity ranges from 45-55 cm.  Atlantic Cod feed on a variety of fish and shellfish including capelin, herring, flounder and crab.  ~Canadian Department of Fisheries & Oceans

Dory

A traditional dory is a wooden vessel designed with a flat bottom and removable seats to create stackable boats that could be carried on the deck of the larger fishing schooners for the cod fishery taking place offshore.  

Downtown Neighbours

Downtown St. John’s is full of townhouses with brightly coloured clapboard.  They certainly make for close neighbours!

Forget Me Not

This image was designed based on some of the cards sent home by our Newfoundland Regiment soldiers during the 1st World War.  The Forget-me-not was the poppy of the day.  

This image won the prize for Best New Product at the Craft Council of NL’s 2015 Christmas Craft Fair.

F*** That Shit

Not meant to be offensive, this piece was created as a kind of shout out to all who have had enough of being told what to wear, what to say, what they should and shouldn't do, how to behave, who to marry, etc.  We all have our own lives to live, and we should never feel that we have to go along with someone else's version of what's acceptable (within the law of course- and even then, sometimes we need to fight to update the law!).  And the design also reminds us to stop and smell the roses- appreciate the good things we have in life. For example: When an ad tells me what hairstyles are acceptable for a 50+ woman like me, I say apply the above statement, and continue to do what I like with my own hair!

Humpback

The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. It is one of the larger rorqual species, with adults ranging in length from 12–16 m and weighing around 25–30 t. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. ~Wikipedia

Every time I see a humpback, I am as overjoyed as I was the 1st time I saw a humpback!  One of the best parts of summer!

Iceberg Alley

 

Jacky Conner

Inspired by a Cunner at the Bonne Bay Aquarium & Research Station (BBARS) during my 2025 Art & Science Residency, this fish is known in New-Wes-Valley as a Jacky Conner.  

Jug & Basin

A great companion piece with Lamplight!  Makes me think of Nan & Granda's house in Newtown.  Each bedroom had a washstand with a basin and jug to bring warm water for washing.  Even in the 1980s, Nan & Granda chose not to update the house with a toilet or bathtub like everyone else.  Most people my age didn't experience chamber pots and outhouses!

Killick

A handmade anchor made of found objects: sticks and a heavy stone tied together with rope.  There is a really great example of one on display at the Barbour Living Heritage Village in nearby Newtown.

Lighthouses

"During the past year the Light House at Puffin Island has been built of granite, the lantern, lenses and apparatus fixed and everything made ready for putting the light in operation on 1st March next, as notified by public advertisements. It may not be amiss to state that this is the first public building that has been constructed chiefly of Newfoundland materials - the granite was quarried on the spot, and the lumber and roofing slates supplied from Trinity and Green Bays."  ~ Inspector John T. Neville, 1872

The Point Amour Lighthouse, the 2nd tallest in the country, stands on the south coast of Labrador.  Dating to the 1850s, the Point Amour Light-station is a designated Provincial Historic Site.

Lobster

Lobsters are caught using baited traps placed on the bottom of the sea. Overall, lobster populations in Canada are healthy and sustainably managed… Sometimes growing to lengths of 60 cm and weighing over 18 kilograms, lobsters can grow to be among the largest marine crustaceans. They are also the longest-living crustaceans, capable of reaching ages of up to 50 years.  Lobsters are active hunters, feeding on a variety of animals, including crab, shellfish, marine worms, starfish, sea urchins and fish. ~ Department of Fisheries & Oceans Canada

Lobster Lefty

Mixed Tape

If you're as old as me, you may have a few cassette tapes like this still hanging around, reminiscent of days spent taping favourite songs off the radio, getting the timing just right so that the radio announcer's voice doesn't become a part of your mixed tape!  I've left the label area blank so that you can write in your own favourite band names to personalize your Mixed Tape card.

I designed this card after watching a season finale of Son of Critch- a show we enjoy that is made at home in Newfoundland.

Mussel Heart

Designed in February of 2020, this image harkens of opening mussel shells on the land wash to form a heart shape which I started doing as a youngster.  Beachcombing has always been a rejuvenating practice of many like minded romantics.

Mussel is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval. ~ Wikipedia

Mussel Pearls

 

Newfoundland Pony

The Newfoundland Pony is known for its strength, courage, intelligence, obedience, and common sense. Newfoundland Ponies are hard workers and easy keepers and are a breed unique to this province. ~ newfoundlandpony.com

Norris Point of View

 

Old Paterson's Goat

This image is based on one of many goats cared for by the Paterson family in Amherst Cove.  Mr. Paterson isn't an old man, but he is a grandfather, and I think it sounds better.

Orca

The striking Killer Whale has become more commonly seen in Newfoundland waters recently.  With a lifespan of 30-90 years, and growing up to 32 feet in length, these animals are incredible to watch swimming in the open ocean for their speeds and agility.  

Puffins

The Atlantic puffin, also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family.  ~Wikipedia

I had my first puffin sighting in my mid-40s.  I was convinced to go looking for them after teams of visitors told me they were so adorable that I just had to see them. I did go to Elliston where there is a colony, and suggest you not miss out either!  Although we have many different seabird species here locally, we don’t see puffins due to our landscape. ~Janet

Sainsbury's Store

Designed in June of 2016, this image is based on a storage building that used to sit on the grounds of the Wesleyville Marine Service Centre.  It was owned by the Sainsbury family of Wesleyville and was still standing in the early 1990s.

Saltbox House

A traditional folk house type all over Newfoundland, the Salt Box style, named for its shape, which resembled the boxes used for shipping salt to Newfoundland, was one of the earliest forms of house construction. The Salt Box traditionally had a shorter steep roof line in front and a longer steep slope in back. The house, therefore, looked bigger from the front than it actually was. ~ Heritage Foundation of NL

Salt Fish

To me, salt fish is the Newfoundland icon.  If there hadn’t been a salt fish trade, our ancestors wouldn’t have settled here as they did.  Generations of local families caught, gutted, salted, and dried the fish on wooden platforms to preserve the meat and sell to foreign coastal markets before refrigeration was possible. ~Janet

Sea Urchin

Locally, the most common sea urchins shells are green when dried and clean.  The shells can be found on the rocks around our home that have been dropped by seagulls to break open their seafood treat.  They are very often picked up while beachcombing, or on seaside walking trails.

Shamrock

Created for a friend who is a first generation Newfoundlander with her roots in Ireland, the shamrock is a three-leafed clover and symbol of Ireland and Saint Patrick.

Smudge Herring

Herring are various species of forage fish which often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast.  Herring played an important role in the lives of our European ancestors- they have long been an important food fish, and are often salted, smoked, or pickled.  The smoking process seems to have led to the local name "smudge herring", and they can be seen swimming with their fins breaching the water in Norton's Cove from time to time.  

Spring Ice

Spring in Newfoundland = ice in the form of icebergs and pack ice.  The flowers and greenery don't show up until summer is almost here.  I look forward to iceberg hunting every year! ~ Janet

Squid

When I wanted to draw a squid, I only had to mention it and a local fisherman dropped one off for me!  My son and I spent an afternoon positioning and photographing and drawing the squid, fascinated by the iridescence and changing colours of the animal.

Telephone

Designed after taking a workshop with The Phone Lady, this piece harkens back to a time when phones were still a new phenomenon, and the phone lines were not private- there are excellent stories about hearing other people on the line while talking to someone on the Wesleyville exchange.  Ask a boomer generation local about it as a conversation starter!

The Narrows

Probably the most recognized landscape in Newfoundland, the narrows have an amazing history including take-overs, wars, commerce, and even a chain to keep submarines out of the harbour!  Any visit to the port of St. John’s is incomplete without a drive up to Signal Hill.

Trilobite

Designed especially for the Manuels River Community, you can book a fossil site hike and see them up close in person!

Typewriter

This image is based on an artefact in the museum collection of The REACH, donated by Brookfield Hospital (now known officially as the Dr. Y. K. Jeon Kittiwake Health Centre).  A great retro companion piece to the Telephone image.

Viking Bow

This image was designed after a visit to L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula, the oldest known European settlement in North America.