GYOTAKU - Jack Brown, a long time gyotaku fish printer artist, has been an avid fisherman since a very early age. He lived seven and a half years in Japan during the late seventies where he caught many fish. The trophy fish he caught were at first photographed. Fortunately, paper rubbings of fish soon caught his eye. Japanese fishermen made rubbings of their trophy fish rather than take pictures. The next time Jack caught a large fish, with the help of Japanese friends, he cut the rice paper to size, inked the fish, made a rubbing and created his first Gyotaku.

From then on, Jack made rubbings of all the fish he caught along the waterfront of Tokyo Bay. While these fish weren’t large trophy fish, they were different from the freshwater fish he was familiar catching in the US. Returning home to the United States, he continued to make rubbings of the fish he caught locally. His collection is now over twenty five years old.

Nowadays Jack continues to update his fresh and saltwater collections. During the early spring, he spends time catching some of his subjects as they return from the ocean to spawn in the rivers and streams along the Connecticut shoreline. During the summer, he fishes in freshwater, collecting more fish for his freshwater collection.

Jack demonstrating fish rubbing (Fish Printing) at a Shad Bake.

In the fall it’s back to the sea where Jack pursues fish found in the local waters off Noank, Connecticut. These include Hickory Shad, Flounder, Porgy, Black Sea Bass and the prized Striped Bass among many others Jack Brown has given many workshops and shown his fish prints in local and regional exhibitions over the years. He hopes you will enjoy his “KECHENENY” fish print collection.

Home Page www.kechenenyfishprints.com