Opinion8ed: I really like the fact that you were a skilled and passionate fisherman
long before putting first fish to canvas and that your art captures the holistic experience of fishing. Given your background working part time in your Dad’s bait and tackle shop in Sheepshead Bay I imagine
you were fishing for as long as you can remember.
Jaxsfish: Well, as you say, my dad owning a fishing
tackle store put fishing in the forefront of my life from an early age but when you work in a fishing tackle store you don't
get to actually go fishing that much. I knew a lot about fishing but a lot of
it was, shall we say, theoretical. When I had my own boys Mary and I decided
that there could be no better family bonding activity so we fished and fished with them- that was really the motivation for
the Aunt Chovy. Both boys grew up loving fishing and while my youngest, David
lives in Nevada, we still fish together whenever he comes to N.Y. My oldest boy,
Matt lives in Manhattan and comes out to Shoreham almost every weekend from May to December to fish with me. Because it bonds us so much as a family it has been an incredible rewarding sport. It seems perfect that being able to catch fish works so well with wanting to turn fish into art.
Opinion8ed: I
know that you have a very close family and are a loving father and grandfather from your print subtitled, “To My Granddaughter Delaney, Our First Porgy Together, July 1, 2007 Gramps” shown on your website
under the category Prize Fish Prints. Do you envision passing on your passion
to your children or grandchildren some day?
Jaxsfish: The only passion I want to pass on is
curiosity and a love of learning. My boys have their own wonderful passions and
my grandchildren are a little young to turn into budding fish print artists. Eliot
is only 1 ½ and would pretty much eat the paint and the fish indiscriminately and Delaney is 2 ½ and does have an artistic
bent. I plan on doing some printing with her when she comes to NY. next month
but I don't care if fish printing becomes a passion with her or not.
Opinion8ed: Speaking of your close family, I understand that you named your boat after
your favorite Aunt Chovy... Just kidding, of course. But that’s a great
name for a boat… how did you name her?
Jaxsfish: The name comes from when my boys were
very young. We had just picked up our first boat- a little 14 footer and were
at the pizza place trying to come up with a name. The waiter came over and asked
if we wanted anchovies on our pizza and the boys thought it was hilarious and started chanting aunt chovy, aunt chovy- seemed
like the perfect name for our boat. They were a little young to get the double
meaning at the time.
Opinion8ed: As any talented artist is discovered their work becomes sought out or commissioned. Tell us a little about how the commercial side of your artwork has grown. How much of your time has this taken up and do you find this rewarding (in both the literal and figurative
sense)?
Jaxsfish:
Producing artwork and selling artwork combine to make more than a full time job- I pretty much work at it seven days
a week. I try to paint during the winter and do art shows and promote my work
during the other three seasons. Last year was my first year selling commercially
and I had no originals left by the middle of the summer- who would have thought that fish pictures would be so popular? My work is at La Plage in Wading River, The John Dory seafood restaurant in Manhattan,
sushi restaurants and Terrence Joyce Gallery. This year I will be doing several
art shows in Manhattan- Washington Square Park, Lincoln Center and Gracie Mansion. I
will also be doing quite a number of shows on Long Island- Montauk, Southampton, Hampton Bays and Westhampton. I love talking to people about the artwork so doing art shows is perfect.
Gyotaku is a relatively unknown art in the Northeast and people are surprised and delighted to know how they are made.
Opinion8ed: Thanks again for your time and for sharing your experiences with Opinion8ed. May the Fish be with you
