Gyotaku, anyone?

I like fish in any form. I love to catch and release them, eat them, decorate with their likenesses, and I especially enjoy printing them. I was a natural fit to teach a Gyotaku class at Asheville Bookworks. 
Collecting specimens for my class was not particularly difficult, except for the day that I was out on a few mile walk with a friend and we happened to spot this large bluefish on sale at the local market. I had them wrap it extra carefully with ice (which is heavy, I discovered) but carrying it home, dripping fish smell all through my neighborhood which is frequented by black bears in the summer, I must say I was a little nervous. My plan of action in my mind was to throw the fish at the bear and run! I'm sure it would have worked.

The class was a great success. Who would have guessed that the favorite printing object was not a fish but a small octopus. The prints were fantastic. We also each carved our own chop to add to our prints and the chops were absolutely beautiful. 

Thanks to Asheville Bookworks and the creative wonderful people in my class who weren't afraid to get a little slimy that day!