trout illustrated

First Painting of the year - Colorful Harbor

2012-01-02T13:00:00.001-08:00

This is another exercise in painting loose and with limited amount of detail. The focus in this painting is in the horizontal band created by the boats and awnings. I tried to keep the buildings loose and let the watercolors do their thing, after painting I added some pencil and white conte crayon line work.

Italian Mountain Village

2011-12-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

It has been almost a year since I have posted anything, being a father of triplets does not bode well for free time to paint or fish. But with a week off from work and having some help from my sister who is visiting I decided to bring out the watercolors and through down some paint.

For inspiration i like to look at John Lovett's blog Splashing Paint, he is a great artist and sometimes has tutorials on his blog. The painting above was a tutorial on how to suggest detail something i struggle with I have a tendency to try to paint all the detail. The painting is not nearly as good as Lovett's but not bad considering how little painting i have been doing lately.

Italian Streetscapes

2011-01-05T22:05:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of paintings I did with my new "graham" watercolors, for my sister who has an affinity for Italian travel. I am too poor to go there myself but it looks nice in the photos.

Landscapes and Streetscapes are a new subject for me that I would like to improve upon. The Canal painting was done rather quickly and has a looser quality I like how the water and the building turned out, the bridge and the boats need some work.
I spent quite a bit more time on Italian Village painting, not to mention it was a complicated perspective tofigure out and draw (still not very acurate). Moving foreward with streetscapes I am going to focus on minimal detail and focus on tones and shapes and let the watercolors do their thing, this seems to be a common theme in the watercolor artist I admire.

Places I like - Oregon

2010-11-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

I decided to bring out the water colors and experiment with some quick landscapes, in between feeding babies.
here are a few of the places that are close to my heart here in oregon

Haystack Rock Cannon Beach

Mt Jefferson From Pacific Crest Trail

Columbia River Gorge Goat farm

The Smartest Animals in the world

2010-10-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

While I have been on FMLA I have been staying busy feeding and changing diapers on the triplets. But also have managed to watch a number of documentaries; documentaries about animals. Two stand out in my mind one about Crows and one about elephants. The one about crows confirmed what I already knew- Crows are the smartest animal in the world (along with elephants and chimps), this made me happy since I am a huge crow proponent, and feel that they are misunderstood. Two interesting facts are that crows can recognize people faces and associate them with events, they can also make tools to solve simple problems, this already makes them smarter than a lot of people.
I also learned some new things about elephants: they are smart too, maybe not as smart as crows but they can pass knowledge down from generation to generation which is cool.

Here are two paintings that celebrate the brains of the animal world....thank you crows and elephants you make the world a much brighter place.

"Wise old Elephant"

Trout Illustrated going International

2010-09-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

My pectorial paintings caught the fancy of Italian Blog author "Captain Rusty Hook" (Mattia),

check out the great piece he did on my art even if you don't read Italian.

Next week Paris.

Thanks Mattia!

His blog also has some sweet home made lures, music of the day, photography and other cool stuff check it out:

http://capitanrustyhook.blogspot.com/search/label/Fishing%20Art

"Back to School"

2010-09-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

This is my latest painting "Back to School" inspired by the wonderful fall weather and that smell of learning in the air (i am not going back to school but many kids are). I imagine these 3 jouvenile trout are on there way to school to learn about the dangers of fishermen, ospreys, beavers and other adversaries of creek life, but from the look of it they are just going to goof around all day. I think this painting has more of a childrens book illustration style to it so that it appeals to people of all ages regardless if they like fishing or not.

I actually did this painting for my Friend Don for fund raising auction he is helping out with. Hopefully someone with a kind heart will buy this painting to help out "Quiet Waters" a non profit organization design to help people with developmental disabilities.

http://www.quietwatersoutreach.org/

Clear Water and Small Cutties

2010-07-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

Recently I did a backpacking trip into Bull of the Woods Wilderness, along Elk Lake Creek, with my friends Les and Phil. The clarity of the water in these remote creeks is truely remarkable (thanks to the protection from logging in this area). The fishing for small native cutthroats proved to be non stop action with any choice of color Elk Hair Caddis, unfortunatly the largest was only 9-10" but still a load of fun.
I also fished a Beaver pond and spotted my first Oregon Beaver as well as a Bald Eagle flying above the creek. It was a great time and probably the last pack trip I will be doing for a while with the Triplets well on their way.

Octopus 1

2010-05-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

So this is definitely not a trout, but now as I prepare to be a father I will be painting more sea creatures most notable octopus and maybe squid. This is the first in a series of three that I am doing for the kids room. If you are interested in the triplet development check out our other blog:
Pitts trips

Holding Rainbow

2010-03-12T16:51:00.001-08:00

this painting was of a trout I caught in a small lake on the oregon coast.

crows in the snow

2010-03-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

here is another crow painting

3 crows a study

2010-02-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

I decided to paint something a little different. This painting is not of trout, not even of fish at all but Crows. I have always liked crows, being one of the smartest animals in fact i want a bumper sticker that says " my crow is smarter than your honor student" but non exist that I know of.

A brown for old time sake

2010-01-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have had time to throw down some water colors. Finally got the chance this evening, decided to paint an old brown trout just for the "heck" of it.

Young Redband Rainbow

2009-12-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

The Redband rainbow is an important species here in Oregon. The Redband Trout that inhabit the Deschutes river are known for their tremendous strength, pound for pound the hardest fighting trout. This is a painting in a series of small fish most like the ones I usually catch.

Quick Chum Study

2009-11-22T12:14:00.000-08:00

Chumtastic

2009-11-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the opportunity to drift one of Oregon's best chum fisheries the Kilchis river, with my friends Don, Dennis and Ed. We had a great time hooking lots of fish and landing a few.
The chum may be considered the ugliest salmon but I find them strangely beautiful.

Don with the pontoons in a brief down pour

Don with his first Chum of the day

My first Chum
Dennis with a nice fresh buck

Scanning the flats

2009-10-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a small break from painting trout and try my hand at a seascape. This was painted from the photo on the cover of the Kaufman's catalog.
9x12 Watercolor and ink

Rainbow upclose #1

2009-10-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a painting of a rainbow trout up close and personal. Here I am trying to capture the complex coloring of the gill plate while keeping the painting loose and utilizing the qualities of watercolors. I did another very similar painting " Rainbow Upclose #2" which is being auctioned in my firm's United Way fund raiser along with 2 more of my paintings.

Green Back Cutthroat Study (Not Available)

2009-10-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Greenback (native to Colorado currently on the "threatened list") is one of my favorite sub-species of Cutthroat. I like the concentration of spots neat the caudal fin and its intense colors.

Soon I will need to make a trip to Colorado for an opportunity to meet this beautiful trout in person.

this Painting is being auctioned for a United Way fundraiser being held in my Office .

St Johns + Art

2009-10-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

I have recently had the opportunity to show my paintings in a community art show. The charming North Portland neighborhood of St. Johns is promoting it's downtown by having local artist display their work in storefronts along the main street. I have several trout paintings in the storefront of Champs Barbershop (A great place to watch college football and get a haircut) I was surprised to find this morning an article about the show in the Oregonian featuring my painting "Stuck in the Middle With You".

Sokeye? yes please

2009-09-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is my first salmon painting I have attempted. Living in the great Northwest where salmon are such an important part of the culture it seemed important to start painting some. I choose the Sockeye due to their intense spawning colors, sockeye are also my favorite salmon to eat, Sockeye? yes please.

Stuck in the middle with you

2009-09-16T18:52:00.001-07:00

This painting is very similar to "Amongst Friends" I like that one so much I decided to paint one larger and better for myself (Amongst Friends will be auctioned off at the AIA art show if you are interested) I like the idea of a Big mean brown trout being stuck in the middle of a school Rainbows. This is what this trying to depicting.

Here is an zoomed in portion of the painting, I painted the fish in the background with less detail to try to add depth to the painting, I think it worked.

Amongst Friends

2009-09-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

In the same spirit of "Free Lovin" this painting is promoting peace between trout.
This was done for the AIA art show, I did not like the one I previously painted for the show.

Free Lovin

2009-09-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

This painting is a commission for my friend Emily and Sanjay we thought it would be fun to have a painting depicting peace and love among different trout species.

Rainbow Study

2009-09-05T07:36:00.001-07:00

Its been a while since I have painted a rainbow so here is a quick study of a Rainbow, I hope you like it.

2 small browns a study (not available)

2009-09-03T06:48:00.001-07:00

Here is a quick study of 2 browns, I am continuing my effort to loosen up my painting (a couple simple time lagers can help with this endeavor), I also was experimenting with the color pallet.

I Love Watercolors

2009-09-03T06:45:00.001-07:00

There is nothing like coming home from a tedious day at work, opening up a can of "Simple Times Lager" and throwing some paint around. This is a glimse of a painting I am working on for a friend and the brown trout study in the background.

Waterproof Membrane

2009-08-31T06:53:00.001-07:00

This is a painting I did for an AIA art show, featuring art by architects. I was told that the art does not need to be architecture related. This painting features 3 different views of a rainbow. It is the first time I have drawn a trout from above and from underneath. This was an idea I got from looking at some various science illustrator's websites I like how scientific illustrators convey information with very detailed and accurate paintings. Don't mistake this paint for an accurate representation of trout anatomy, the bone structure is merely an artistic representation.

Reflections on Brown

2009-08-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Fishermen tend to be a reflective bunch, perhaps it is all the time we spend on the water not catching fish it gives one time to think over life's tough mysteries such as; where are all the big trout that live in this river? Fish have a tendency to be reflective too, not the way fishermen reflect but rather a literal reflecting especially while under the water. Here is a Brown trout doing some reflecting. I tried to capture this reflective quality of a trout under water with the risk of it looking like it had been whipped with a fly rod. I think it came out alright, despite the fact I went a little crazy on the background.

Watercolor 9"x11" limited edition print of 50 - $50

Dance of the Brookies

2009-08-24T21:26:00.001-07:00

This painting was inspired by my recent backpacking trip, where I learned more about my friend the Brook trout. The Brook trout seems to be a very fun loving fish, always
frolicking about the lake jumping without a care in the world. Their variety of festive colors are also fun and what makes them one of my favorite fish to paint.

In this painting I tried to loosen up, paint faster and let the watercolors do their thing. Letting colors run together sometimes gives unexpected results, but thats the beauty of watercolors.

Watercolor 15x22 Limited print of 50 - $75

Back Packing Mt. Jefferson

2009-08-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

Just Got back from a Awesome 2 night backpacking trip with my father Ed and friend Les.

We hiked to some lakes on the southwest side of Mount Jefferson. The scenery was some of the best I have seen so far in Oregon. The fishing in the small lakes was alright for small brookies, I did however manage to catch one over 12" not bad for a high mountain Brookie, at least in these lakes.

Release the Brown Trout

2009-08-11T22:05:00.001-07:00

This is another watercolor where I experimented with the background and worked in a subtle reflection off the water. I do not like paintings where the background visually overpowers the trout, so I kept the colors of the water toned down with not much detail to keep the attention on the trout. I was also experimenting using maskit to create it a "halo" around the black spots, this technique still needs some work but I like the affect this will be very helpful for brook trout.
(You might notice the stray caudal fin on the left side of the painting, not sure what I was thinking this started out as more of a sketch and then turned into a painting)

Water Color 9X12" limited print of 50 - 75$ contact me if you are interested in the original

Free Rainbow

2009-08-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

I have been working on my watercolor technique trying to better utilize the qualities of watercolors.
This is a Rainbow trout not one that I caught (I never catch trout this big) but a image from a NW Fly Fishing magazine.
Watercolor 9X12" Limited Print of 50 - 75$

Beneath the Rapids

2009-08-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

This is one of the first trout paintings that I have ever done way back in High School. Unlike most my paintings where the focus is on the details of the fish this painting tries to capture the subject's environment. The water reflections on the Trout's back really harmonizes it with its surroundings, I was reluctant to paint the reflections at first for fear of ruining the trout but my art teacher convinced me to do it and I am glad I did.

19" x24" Water Color, Limit Print of 50 - $125

Lahontan Cutthroat

2009-08-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

This is a water color of a juvenile Lahontan Cutthroat trout . I have not caught one of these yet but hopefully I will someday.

9"x12" water color limit print of 50 - 50$

My Favorite Trout that's not a Trout

2009-08-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a painting of the Brook Trout my wife caught at rock lakes. The Brook trout is one of my favorites even though it's not really a trout but a Char. I love the brook trout's intense colors the bright orange/red belly and the dark green almost black back. The Brook trout's yellow spots however pose a challenge when painting it, next time I will use a "maskit" for the spots. I am also not too happy with the head its a little strange but over all its a decent rendering of the fish.

9"x 12" Water Color, Limit print of 50 = 50$

Rock Lake Brook

2009-08-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is a nice Brook Trout that my wife caught on a backpacking trip to Rock Lakes ( I am holding it in the picture her hands are not that manly). Rock lakes is a small group of lakes south of Mount Hood about 2 hours from Portland. I normally practice catch and release but when it comes to eating dehydrated noodles or fresh trout after hiking 5 miles I choose the unlucky brooky.

"The perch swallows the grub-worm, the pickerel swallows the perch, and the fisher-man swallows the pickerel; and so all the chinks in the scale of being are filled" - Thoreau, Walden Pond

Average Rainbow for an Average fisherman

2009-08-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

I love fishing, but I will admit that I am an average fisherman at best. I hope I am better at painting fish than I am at catching them. This is a painting of the typical rainbow the type I might catch on a typical day fly fishing the streams in the Oregon Cascades, some photos of which I will post later. If you like this "Average Rainbow" e-mail me and I can sell you a limited edition print.

Water Color, 9x12"