Pat McGuire studies the Japanese art of gyotaku, or fish printing, to create images of the forms and colors of the fish that are part of her life. A resident of Cordova, Alaska, a fishing village on Prince William Sound, McGuire is a commercial fisher in the summer, while her winter months are spent in her studio.The art of printing fish originated in Japan about two hundred years ago as a way for fishermen to record the size of their catch, and has developed over the years into a refined art form. Today in Japan it is still the preferred method for documenting trophy fish, and the walls of the bait and fishing shops are adorned with black prints on white cloth of the ones that didn't get away. The first step in making a fish print is to catch a fish -- not always a simple task, as any fisherman knows! After careful cleaning and preparation, the fish is painted with a suitable medium and a thin sheet of handmade paper is then laid over the fish and rubbed and pressed gently until the image of of the fish is transferred to the paper. (McGuire uses water-based inks, and Japanese paper, but oils and tempera can also be used, as well as cloth or even t-shirts.) Finally, the paper is removed from the fish and the eye is painted by hand. If the fish is handled properly, the ink may be washed off after the printing, and the fish may be eaten. McGuire combines the completed gyotaku using Japanese collage techniques in which the delicate transparency of the papers blends to give added depth and dimension to her work. As a diver, she explores the underwater world, then translates the imagery into underwater seascapes, combining prints of actual shells, rocks, kelp, shrimp, crabs with larger species into stunning life-size compositions. Although working extensively with all the fishes of the North Pacific, McGuire's favorite subjects are the fish she knows best, the salmon of the Copper River Delta. The sheer size and power of the King Salmon, the fascinating metamorphosis of the spawning Red Salmon, and the voracious feeding frenzy of the Silver Salmon have all been captured in her large and dramatic pieces.
McGuire graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. and an M.Ed. She is a member of the Nature Printer's Society and has travelled to Japan to study both fish printing and papermaking . Her work is well-known throughout Alaska where she has won grants and awards from the Alaska State Council on the Arts, and has taught printmaking in the Alaska Artist's in the School Program. Recent public commissions include Food Chain -- Silver Salmon and Herring" located at Sea-Tac International Airport, "D" Concourse; "Spring Run -- King Salmon and Red Salmon" located in the Port of Seattle's International Convention Center, Bell Street Building, Pier 66; and "Copper River Reds and Kings" recently installed in the new Alaska State Ferry, M/V Kennicott. For further information regarding current works, commissions, postcards or posters, please contact the artist: Pat McGuire |
