Marylou Butler Freelance Writing and Photography

Jack Brown – Gyotaku Artist

If you told Jack Brown 25 years ago that he was going to be an artist he would have laughed. Even though his mother was an oil painter he insists he had no talent or interest. One of his life long passions though is fishing and it is through that hobby and a stint of living and working in Japan that lead Brown to discover his inner artist.

A civilian employee of the US Navy, he was fishing Tokyo Bay with his young son and caught a nice sized specimen. Another fisherman commented that he should make a gyotaku (gyo – fish, taku – impression or rubbing) print of it. Brown didn't know how but his son knew of a bait shop that displayed fish prints and off they headed to learn more. Instead of the American style of taking a photo of a prize catch or having a taxidermist stuff and mount the fish the Japanese tradition is to make a rubbing for display. Originally from the mid-1800's and used for bragging rights in the local shops gyotaku has become a delicate and popular art form.

Using traditional rice paper, some infused with silk, and sumi ink Brown has so far created rubbings of over 75 types of fish, both fresh and salt water. The process is painstaking as well as immediate. Each fish requires 3-4 hours of work to hopefully create 6 prints. The fish is carefully inked and positioned, taking into consideration its particular fins, eyes, tail and other details. No two prints will be exactly the same. “I never use the word perfect” he said. Once the printing is done the fish finds its way into Brown's skillet or his daughter's famous chowder. All of the fish are memorialized on the back of each piece with the personal story of where and when they were caught and how, if he didn't catch them himself, they got to the artist's table.

In Jack Brown's world there are no tales about the one that got away. His fish prints capture aquatic life in beautiful, exacting detail. If the timing is right he will even print your fresh catch by special request. In the meantime you can catch your favorite fish in print or on a T-shirt. Brown's work is available at the Westerly Arts Cooperative, 12 High St. Westerly or through his website kecheneny. A joker and lover of puns, Brown explains the name as a take on the familiar fisherman's question – Catching any?

For more information visit www.kechenenyfishprints.com or email kecheneny@comcast.net