Gyotaku, Fish Rubbings
Mark W. Smith is an artist and a fly fishing guide. Long summer days are spend wading the Henry's Fork of the Snake in Idaho or floating the Madison River in Montana. This gives Mark all winter for his artwork. His studio is in Brawley, California. His medium is hand cast paper.
Mark uses Gyotaku, or fish rubbings, and other imagery from nature in his paper pieces. These fish prints are fist made on rice paper from actual fish. The prints are then placed face down onto a plaster mold and covered with a layer of cotton pulp. The fibers in the rice paper realign with the fibers in the cotton pulp. Once dry, the fish prints become part of the cast paper piece. Through this papermaking process, the artist is able to introduce sculptural relief and surface texture in his work.
Mark W. Smith has been printing fish and making paper since 1980. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History from Humbolt State University in 1984. Mark shows his work in his own gallery in Last Chance, Idaho. The winters are spent in Brawley, CA along with the 3 huskies and mojo the cat.
