Opinion8ed: Mr. Fish, Most artists would not be able to recall their very first work, but I’m guessing you might. Do you recall that first Gyotaku? What type of a fish did
you use and what first inspired you to try your hand at this Japanese folk art?
Jaxsfish: Actually I don't recall my first fish
print. I was a teacher at the time and it was done with my first grade class
about 36 years ago. A fellow teacher showed me how to do Gyotaku and I thought
it was a perfect hands-on activity for teaching kids about fish. The fish I printed
that had me thinking about fish printing as an art form was done 5 years ago with a good friend of my son's. He is a great fisherman and was reading about Gyotaku and brought a 30-pound striped bass over to my house
and we worked together to print it onto Japanese paper. It is hanging in my foyer
now- it has great sentimental value for me.
Opinion8ed: What was the largest and smallest fish you’ve done to date?
Jaxsfish: The largest whole fish I've printed
was a 42-pound striped bass. The smallest was a 3-inch peanut bunker. Ironically, one of my prints has the largest fish chasing several of the smallest
fish- life is tough if you're a 3 inch peanut bunker. I have a yellowfin tuna
in the freezer waiting to be printed - it’s quite a bit larger than the
striper. I also did the head of a 230-pound big eye tuna I caught. I wanted to print the whole fish but the crew wouldn't hear of giving away their share.
Opinion8ed: I’m not surprised…Are there types of ink you can use that allow
you to consume the fish when you’re done printing it? I’m dreaming
about all the delicious meals that 42 pound striped bass might have made.
Jaxsfish: I print using oil-based inks and of
course, apply the paint directly to the fish, so no- you can't eat the fish after I use it. However,
if it is a larger fish I will fillet ½ half for the table before printing the other half.
Opinion8ed: So you can have your fish and
print it too… That’s ingenious and a good compromise – I guess you really only need half a fish to make
the print…
Jaxsfish: Some Gyotaku artists use water based inks and say that you can eat the fish when they are finished but truthfully, I'm
not sure I would want to eat a fish that has be handled for a while. My overall
philosophy is that almost all the fish we catch are released immediately. Of
those we don't release almost all the rest go for food. Only very few fish are
made into Gyotaku. I don't believe a fish much cares if it is eaten or "immortalized"
as a piece of art.
Opinion8ed: With any art form, skill develops over time and with practice. Have you been influenced by others’ work? How have your
Gyotaku evolved and are there technical and/or artistic challenges you think about as you continue to do new works?
Jaxsfish: I have had the good fortune to have been taught by some of the best Gyotaku artists in the world. Each time I work with them, or see their work, I realize how much I want to learn. My work continues to evolve as I acquire new techniques and try different compositions, backgrounds, and
groupings of fish. As for technical challenges, there are so many- the fish must
be prepared and posed and the paint applied in a specific manner. The paper or
fabric has to have specific characteristics and the actual printing has to be done with a certain pressure- but like all art
forms- the technical fades in importance for those looking at the work- it is the overall impression and emotion that the
artwork has on the audience that really matters.
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