Gyotaku, which literally translates to “fish rubbing”, is a traditional Japanese art form of nature print that dates from the mid 1800’s. Traditionally an image of a fish is created by inking the specimen and then pressing it against rice paper to create an ink “impression” of the original. Although traditionally and most commonly practiced with fish, the art form itself, we believe, can be expanded far beyond fish. Here we break from tradition and experiment with a diversity of creatures using various media.

 

Being most interested and knowledgeable about the Texas fish fauna we focused predominantly on Texas fish at first. But now we freely experiment with forms and patterns produced by other animals. In addition to scaled animals, we’ve developed methods to print bones, feathers and fur – revealing the internal as well as the external anatomy.

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Our artistic process is continually evolving. We use various archival inks, clays, and paints to achieve what we believe to be interesting and beautiful artistic pieces. They reflect the (a) reality of the specimen from which the art is created because of the direct touch of the creature to the art. Pieces of the animal and its fluids are contained in the art and in this way the creatures are often part of the art. Sometimes animals appear to be in a natural position as if alive while others look to be freshly extracted from the pavement. Every piece is different and no strict rules apply to our methodology. Typically we post-process the raw print with a brush or pencil and add various degrees of detail or interest. Some images are digitally processed after that.

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We are both conservation-minded biologists working daily towards the long-term persistence of the populations of animals that we print. As such we have strong feelings about the ethical treatment and use of animals.

 

With very few exceptions (occasionally fish and invertebrates) we do not kill animals specifically for use in our art and rather rely on animals found deceased in nature. In some cases we will accept specimens from permitted hunters, wildlife rehabilitators and exterminators so long as they have been collected via legal means. When appropriate, we donate specimens to museums for long-term curation and for use in scientific research.

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the artists:

the artists:

Adam grew up in Houston, Texas poking around in ditches, collecting plants and animals for aquaria and backyard ponds. He developed a strong interest in biology and art. Adam has lived in Austin, Texas since 1993 studying biology at the University of Texas at Austin and earning a Masters Degree studying fish in Cuatro Cienegas, Mexico. Adam currently works at the University of Texas, Biodiversity Collections’, Ichthyology Collection in Austin and in his spare time pursues various artistic endeavors. Adam’s other work can be seen here.

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Ben also grew up in the Houston vicinity with many opportunities to explore nature and fish with friends and family. His family has been fishing out of Galveston and Matagorda Bays with him since he was a toddler. Ben moved to Austin for college in 1999, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in evolutionary behavior at the University of Texas at Austin in 2002. He now has a masters in aquatic resources and statistics and works as a research director and consultant for a marketing consultancy and an environmental consulting agency. Throughout his life Ben has explored art as a hobby through various mediums, but mostly through painting and drawing.