Two years in the making!
"Every Fish Has A Tale," my solo gyotaku fish art exhibit, is now installed and open for viewers until August 7, 2021. The exhibit is located at the Otter Tail County Historical Society Museum, Fergus Falls, MN.
A new exhibit for my Gyotaku fish art was confirmed and set up with the Otter Tail County Historical Society and the Fergus Falls Fish and Game club in January 2019. The Fish and Game club was celebrating their 100 Anniversary in 2020. I was invited to participate as the 'fish' part of their year-long celebration with a solo exhibit. How exciting to have a chance to pull together a large solo exhibit of my mostly Minnesota gyotaku fish art with my neighboring county! However, in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic shut them down. They were able to re-open in time for my exhibit in 2021.
Otter Tail County, MN is known to have more lakes than any other county in the nation! Summer and winter lake activities are abundant and fishing is a common occurrence. How fortunate to have a chance to show that fish can be more than just good eating - it can become art! It can confirm the bragging rights of one's catch in a way a camera or taxidermy cannot. It can help preserve the memories of the fishing events. Every fish has a tale.
My exhibit includes gyotaku monoprints of freshwater pan fish, rough fish, and a few Alaskan fish, along with several mixed fiber pieces.
Gyotaku is a traditional Japanese printmaking method that highlights the exact size and intricate fin and scale patterns of common—and not-so-common—local fish. I've used this technique on a variety of fish, creating a one-of-a-kind, detailed record of the catch.
Solo exhibits are a big thing for artists. It is a chance to share a variety of one’s work and to display and showcase the art in an appropriate way. The art won’t be overpowered by distractions. It also means a lot of work for the artist to complete new work to keep the show fresh and intriguing to the public. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that artists don’t often talk about to pull the show together. So, next time you visit an exhibit please thank the artist for their time and devotion to share their artwork with you. It would be much appreciated. I know it means a lot to me!
I selected “Every Fish Has a Tale” as the title. I felt this summarizes the many dimensions of the gyotaku art form. In the mid 1800’s, gyotaku was started by Japanese fishermen to record their fish catches - their fishing story for the day. They used supplies readily available - black Sumi calligraohy ink and rice paper. They inked the fish and did a direct transfer rub to the paper to capture the exact size and species of their catch. It was visual proof before cameras were readily available! Today, I use basically the same technique to capture the image of a fish caught as a trophy or to capture the special memories of the catch. Those memories are our tales. When the exquisite details of the fish exterior surface is captured as a gyotaku (fish print), it also tells the tale of that fish. We can see it as unique art for our decor. Scientists see it as a way to study the species. Fishermen see it as a way to capture their catch. Bragging rights preserved.
Every fish has a tale. What’s yours?
