Fish Paintings
"Atlantic Permit”
Stretched Giclee canavas prints from original oil , 18″ x 24″
The Atlantic Permit is one of the most sought after fish by saltwater fly-fishermen, but it doesn’t come easy. I prefer to quote Thomas McGuane when I talk about this fish. “What is most emphatic in angling is made so by the long silences-the unproductive periods. For ardent fisherman, progress is toward the kinds of fishing that are never productive in the sense of the blood riots of the hunting-and-fishing periodicals. Their illusions of continuous action evoke for him, finally, a condition of utter, mortuary boredom.…No form of fishing offers more elaborate silences as fly-fishing for permit.” Enough said. I owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Jonathan Olch, author of “A passion for Permit” for his invaluable contributions in providing underwater pictures of this elusive fish along with reviewi of my drafts for anatomical detail.
"Belize Bonefish"
Stretched Giclee canvas prints from original Oil 18″ x 24″ ---$175
This was my first attempt at an underwater scene. It is to commemorate my first encounter with these awesome fighters. The painting is loosely based off of the various fish I caught on my first outing to Turneffe Flats Belize in 2017. In 45 years of flyfishing, I am still absolutely mesmerized by the prospect of hooking one of these speedsters. Bonefishing on the flats of the Turneffe Atoll represented to me the pinnacle of the sport of angling, where you stalk the fish in a wild, beautiful, remote place, sight them, tempt them to take your small fly, and then hang on for the ride, only to gently release them back to their home at the end of the fight.
"Red Drum"
Stretched Giclee canvas prints from original Oil 12″ x 24″ ---$150
Drum is one of the most sought after gamefish in the continental united stat The es and is making a greater showing here in the Chesapeake of late. I wanted to paint a mid-sized fish known as a “puppy drum” when they are in the typical slot range for harvesting. These fish are often found in the marshes and along edges in the bay, making them perfect flyfishing targets from flats boats. On light tackle like a 6 to 8 wt flyrod, the fish can make for a great fight. They vary in color depending on various factors but for this picture I focused on a darker variation where the fish has a reflective sheen like a new copper penny. I also wanted to capture the blue in the caudal fin that is often resident in puppy drum. This blue coloring is attributed to accumulations of blue-green algae in the crustaceans that they eat.
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"Speckled Sea Trout"
Stretched Giclee canvas prints from original Oil 12″ x 24″ ---$150
Known by many names, “specs” are some of the most beautiful fish in the Chesapeake, with the spots that earn them their name, on a gray-green body that reflects iridescent colors of silver, gold, violet, and blue. Capturing this fish on canvas was a challenge since I was trying to incorporate many of the beautiful aspects of this fish, to include its orange mouth with distinctive canine teeth. They savage a bait put in front of them and can put up a good fight on light tackle. I particularly like catching them on a 6 weight flyrod. They’re also great eating, with Herbed Sea trout being one of my favorite dishes. While I was roughing in this picture I was in need of more detail to finish my painting and just happened to catch a beautiful example in a creek mouth near my house that was exactly the size of my painting. After some pictures I let him go. Seemed only fitting.
"Striped Bass (Rockfish)"
Stretched Giclee canvas prints from original Oil 12″ x 16″ ---$125
The Striped Bass, or Rockfish as it is known here in Southern Maryland, is normally here throughout the summer as a resident fish, with lengths approaching over 30 inches. But in the spring and late fall the larger fish migrate into the Chesapeake from their Atlantic waters. This picture is based on a beautiful example of the species which was caught this last spring, nearly 40 inches long, full bodied and displaying iridescent colors of lavender and blue mixed into the stripes along with reflective gold scales in the dark green back of the fish.
"Atlantic Bluefish"
Stretched Giclee canvas prints from original Oil 12″ x 16″ ---$125
The Bluefish is normally here in the Chesapeake throughout the late summer and fall. Off my home on the Potomac River, they come in schools generally mixed with the Striped Bass. Their presence is easily determined by the sight of gulls overhead, picking up the remnants of bait left by these voracious predators. Some of my favorite fishing experiences have been in flyfishing during the golden twilight of a crisp fall day for these hard fighting fish on a light flyrod amidst the reeling screaming gulls. This picture is representative of the medium size bluefish, 15-20 inches long, that I commonly catch at that time.
"WHite Perch"
Stretched Giclee canvas prints from original Oil 11″ x 14″ ---$120
The ubiquitous white perch is great fun to catch on light tackle in the summer here in southern Maryland. Normally a trip out to the dock or nearby breakwater in the warm months can produce a few scrappy fish for quick sport. I especially like catching them on a light flyrod.. This picture was painted for a good friend of mine John, who is known as the perch man in these parts. We always enjoy sharing stories over a cup of coffee, when we’re not fishing.