Me:Hi, my name is Doug Blackwell. I have developed the Sockeyeking image trough years of careful and attentive inspection of fish, I love fish and fish are a part of who I am. A commercial fisherman for the last 20 years and a regular fisherman for more than 40, I have always eat, sleep and lived fish. Spending the summers bouncing around the rugged Alaska panhandle chasing salmon of all kinds, and developing a special feeling, understanding and commitment to their survival. Fish are a part of me , especially the salmon, an amazing individual that has self-perpetuated itself through the eons of climate and habitat fluctuations , the salmon will no doubt succeed humans as a spieces.
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My art: |
Most of the pieces I have produced this year are fish rubbings, taken from real fish that I have caught myself. It is an ancient Japanese art form called Gyotaku, a technique that uses rice paper to lift a print from a recently caught fish. The fish is covered in any form of pigment and the rice paper is then pressed against the fish surface to reveal an exact copy of the individual, assuring years of proof of the actual fish, and his size, to back up any kind of fishing story you may come up with through the years.. The gyotaku prints are said to bring good luck to the household where they are displayed. I have taken the art a little farther by adding vibrant color combinations and although some of the combinations area little bizzare, I like the feeling they give. The images are available as translucent (see through) laminates, or in a serigraph version that is presented in acrylic paint on canvas and aluminum panels.
Each piece is original, no reprints, the artworks are numbered only to identify them and are unique to any other. Most of the work is with salmon, but I also make the gyotaku art from any other sealife, you will see crabs , shrimp, oysters and clams. This summer I will be collecting more of an assortment of the different salmon individuals and bottom fish as well. Some of the smaller pieces present only one individual, but many of the canvas works show several fish or even schools of fish. I like to depict abundance of the resourse in my work but also recognize the individual for thier strength and beauty. We spend a lot of time outdoors and the sea and the seashore is one of the most diverse habitats in our world. I hope through my art to bring more awareness of the sea, its beauty, its diversity, and its importance to our own survival. |
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