| Hurricane Fran's devastation left
me with huge stacks of wood
from downed trees. Thinking I would use this wood some how, some way I
stacked the huge slabs in my woodwork shop.
The idea of carving fish came to me after seeing
a whimsical fish design while visiting New Orleans. The first fish was born. It is the only fish that is unpainted,
natural wood. Made from pecan, the
wood has so much character it didn't
need paint. |
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Adding color to the fish started
after a trip to the British Virgin Islands. The
intensity of color of a fresh caught fish is amazing and has driven how I
color my fish.
All fish are sculpted from a solid slab of wood. Poplar or tupelo works
the best. Fins are made from spruce. Paint is a combination of
acrylics and faux paints. These paints are applied
like finger painting. Blending and smoothing around until it's like I want it. A
brush is used on the fins, as my fingers are too big to get in some places. It's
a mess but it's fun. |
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| Scales made from drink cans evolved during a
flash one sleepless night while floating around in my sub conscious. The scales
really give them a new dimension and color palette with endless geometric
patterning. Scales , on some fish, are cut from soda
cans. They are shaped, and then applied (push nailed) to the fish. I recycle
25 to 40 soda cans, making 450 to 700 scales per fish. My soda can color
palette is constantly changing due to the discontinuing and introduction of
can designs.
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Total time invested ranges from 8 hours on "just
painted" models and up to 20 hours or more for compelling designs with scales. They
are then finished with a couple of coats of polyurethane to give it that "wet
look"; also it pulls the color brilliance up.
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Prices for purchasing fish vary
depending on order. If you have a photo of a fish and/or a request for a custom
fish, Bob would be willing to work with you. |
