When I was a young boy living in Peterborough, Ontario, fishing was a big part of my life. I would spend entire summers with fishing pole in hand exploring the lakes, rivers and streams. Usually with my friend John Coleman, we’d wander days away just for the thrill of finding fish and learning how to catch them. An eastern brook trout or a small mouth bass, a perch or a pickerel, it didn’t matter. Just being out of doors with a friend, near water and savouring the tactile sensations that only that environment can bring was enough to fuse in my soul a love and appreciation for fishing, solitude and the waters of Canada.
When I lived in Bella Bella, British Columbia from 1979 to 1981 I’d often forego offers to go salmon fishing on the ocean. In those days the question was not if you’d catch fish, the question was how many you’d catch and how big they’d be. Many times I’d decline the offer simply to take the opportunity to go alone to “the dam”. That was a shallow backwater of a lake formed by a small dam above the village on this remote Pacific coast island. It held only 6 or 8 inch cutthroat trout, but that was what was calling me at the time. I’d pass on the 40 pound salmon to stand alone on the shore of that swamp turned lake just to throw a fly and catch those microscopic trout. I’d relax, contemplate and smile at the age old and timeless sensations of the out of doors. The trout were the unimportant part, they’d be released. The important part was just being there, alone and continuing that familiar ritual begun so many years ago as a kid growing up in Peterborough.
This painting is kind of unique I suppose. It is one of only a couple of fanciful images I have created. Most of my work is of real places. No, this work speaks of my emotions and values. There are peaks and valleys in everyone’s life. For me, as depicted in my image, to be alone with my dog on the shore of a quiet lake simply casting into the waters is a peak. This image speaks of a place in my heart, mind and soul. It speaks of times gone by. It speaks of where I can take myself at any time, if only in my imagination. It speaks of the very best times of life being shared by “FISHING BUDDIES”.
