What is Gyotaku?
Gyotaku is the Japanese art of fish printing, a process in which the printing ‘plate’ is often eaten after the print is taken.
It is said that, unlike the fishermens exaggerated tales, Gyotaku never lies and it began to be used as a tool for research and accurate scientific illustration.
Today Gyotaku is used by artists and illustrators, by fishermen (as trophies), by marine biologists and teachers to make aesthetically pleasing pieces and to study the biodiversity of aquatic life.
I love the beauty of a single printed fish but I also like to combine Gyotaku with other printmaking techniques. Each piece I create is completely individual and hand printed. Due to the nature of the process multiple prints can be created but no two prints will ever be the same. Paper, ink, temperature and of course, the fish itself all affect the outcome. It can be quite a long and delicate process, but it never ceases to amaze and thrill me.
It is said that, unlike the fishermens exaggerated tales, Gyotaku never lies and it began to be used as a tool for research and accurate scientific illustration.
Today Gyotaku is used by artists and illustrators, by fishermen (as trophies), by marine biologists and teachers to make aesthetically pleasing pieces and to study the biodiversity of aquatic life.
I love the beauty of a single printed fish but I also like to combine Gyotaku with other printmaking techniques. Each piece I create is completely individual and hand printed. Due to the nature of the process multiple prints can be created but no two prints will ever be the same. Paper, ink, temperature and of course, the fish itself all affect the outcome. It can be quite a long and delicate process, but it never ceases to amaze and thrill me.
To purists Gyotaku is only Gyotaku if you follow all 3 steps ‘catch, print, eat’. A lot of fish has been eaten in the making of these artworks!
