Harry’s Trout was installed at the University of Southern Maine Art Gallery for the faculty show.
Artist’s Statement:
An installation of 113 raku fired clay fish, 10.5 feet long. Harry’s Trout is an tribute to my father, ace fly fisherman. The 25 largest trout in this installation are made from plaster waste molds of the trophy fish my father and his friends caught in Montana. He would cast one fish in fiberglass, then discard the mold. Forever the scrounge, I have been pressing clay into these molds for years. In 2009, my 89 year old father had a serious bout of pneumonia. That spring I noticed that the detail in the soft plaster molds was wearing away. They were fading and finite. To fish with Harry was to learn an underwater landscape. The overhanging branch or undercut rock was the realm of the uncatchable patriarch, often seen, sometimes snagged, never hauled to shore. This mythic trout was accorded great respect by my father. Perhaps they had an understanding. Their legacy is of increase, and does not fade.
