ILLUSTRATION

I’ve been drawing fish as long as I can remember. As a kid, I loved going to restaurants where paper was the table cloth. I’d get the crayons and draw fish all night as my family enjoyed dinner. I was extremely inspired by marine artist Guy Harvey and loved the way he captured underwater scenes. I would practice drawing from his artwork and study different game fishes’ physical structure from the detail of his work. I particularly enjoyed drawing billfish.  

For me, usually, a drawing is inspired by a moment, something I saw which really stood out. Or sometimes, it happens when envisioning a moment to come. When preparing to fish for a particular species, it tends to take up a lot of mental space- constantly checking the weather, checking the gear, prepping more gear, looking at tides, looking at the moon, etc… and ultimately determining when the best time to be at a very particular spot is.  I get inspired to draw as well throughout that preparation time.Though, there’s something about it I cannot figure out.  Drawing the fish beforehand typically brings on a bit of bad luck for me. It has been good luck on occasion, but more times than not it leads to a failed attempt. I strive to disprove this theory constantly. 

Recently, I’ve only drawn in black and white. I love drawing because it is simple and color for me adds too many decisions to the process. Drawing is a way for me to relax and challenge myself in small ways. I like to keep it simple. 

The bigger illustrations shown were done at home but a lot of the smaller ones were done on airplanes or at a bar. I like drawing in front of people and enjoy the conversations that strike up.  Maybe it’s linked back to those family dinners as a kid, but there’s just a good energy that comes out of drawing in a public space and letting people see the process.