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| 5.9.08 No excuses Admittedly, it’s been awhile. Things have been busy, but excuses are for the weak. I’m sorry – I just haven’t bothered to write. That’s not to say I haven’t much to say. In fact, there are several things – some assuredly delinquent – to cover in this report. Since it will cover several months in time, let’s break it down that way. October 2007: As mentioned in the last report, I was the featured artist for six weeks at the Rotunda Gallery in the City Hall building in Murfreesboro. The opportunity was a fantastic one, and I was able to showcase 20 of my favorite prints for an audience of both enthusiastic collectors interested in my art and casual observers who just happened to be walking through City Hall. I’m especially thankful to the City Hall Art Committee for affording me the chance to present my paintings in such a unique setting. While at the MSFF Expo back in June, I met with a fellow vendor named Steve Walsh, who was there representing the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. After hearing about the wonderful things the Foundation does to protect some of Tennessee’s most ecologically-rich and historically-significant places, I agreed to donate a few prints of “Brook Trout Study” to Steve’s group, so they could present them to the Foundation’s benefactors. In mid-October, my wife, Betsy, and I attended a TPGF event at Devilstep Hollow, a recently acquired piece of land near Crossville, Tenn. The insanely-beautiful Hollow sits in the middle of the Cumberland Gap and is punctuated by an immense limestone cave, replete with prehistoric cave drawings and a spring that begins the scenic Sequatchie River. The cave alone would have been worth the visit, but Steve and the folks at TPGF made the evening more special by including me and my donated prints as part of their presentation ceremony. November 2007: Thanks to more-than-a-little help from Arkansas Fly-Fishing Guide Jamie Rouse, I now have several original paintings and limited edition prints for sale in the Common Ground Studio in Heber Springs, Ark. Jamie “introduced” my work to Ellen Hobgood, the gallery’s proprietor (and outstanding artist), who was impressed enough to begin a business relationship with me. The gallery is definitely in the right spot, as Heber Springs is smack in the middle of fishing heaven – it’s located on the edges of Greer’s Ferry Lake (home of the world-record walleye) and is wrapped by the Little Red River (which produced the world-record brown trout). The gallery, which is located right in the middle of downtown, is worth checking out – 103 S. 3rd Street, 501-362-1972. December 2007: Getting in the Christmas spirit, I completed four Santa paintings and offered limited-edition giclee prints on my Web site (see the Gallery). The originals were beautifully framed by James Duncan at the Art House Gallery, and they’re available for purchase. If you’re interested in them, please give James a call (615-867-2780). If you’d like a print, please contact me. January 2008: The connection with the MSFF group continues to pay dividends for my artwork as I was asked to contribute a painting for the cover of their soon-to-be-released 3rd edition of Home Waters. This tremendously-helpful book covers – in great detail – the various fly-fishing opportunities for anglers living in or visiting the mid-South (mainly Arkansas and west-to-middle Tennessee). I was extremely honored to be asked to contribute to this effort (my Dad still owns a very worn copy of the first edition the book), and my resulting painting – appropriately titled “Home Waters” – will soon be featured on this site as a limited edition giclee. The original painting will be auctioned off at an upcoming MSFF event. February 2008: Painted, fished occasionally. It was cold. And it rained a bunch. Mid-month, I placed 14 framed prints of my work in B. McNeel’s restaurant in downtown Murfreesboro. It’s a tremendous opportunity for me to showcase my art … and to hopefully sell a few pieces as well. If you’re in town and looking for a great place to eat, please check out this fantastic restaurant. Please ask your server to see the artist’s portfolio for the titles and prices of my featured work. And, special thanks goes to Barbara, the owner of B. McNeel’s, for affording me the chance to do this. March 2008: Painted, fished occasionally. It was windy. And it rained a bunch. April 2008: Four new prints will soon be added to the Web site. While I love wrenching up big amberjacks while fishing offshore and celebrating the catch over beers with the guys, I’ve got a sensitive side too, and these paintings will reflect it. About two years ago, I surprised Betsy with an album of photos of the many flowers and plants she has planted in our yard over the past years. To accent the album, I included paintings of several of those plants. She’s treasured the gift for some time, but has finally relinquished ownership of the images so that I can offer some of them to you. I hope you enjoy ‘em. Well, that’s about it, I guess. Oh wait. Fishing. Yes, it’s Springtime, when the fish are active, hungry and about to get their groove on. The Stones River is full of stripe and the occasional hybrid or striper, so I’ve been having a blast with an old 6 wt. flyrod and a handful of clousers and wiggle-minnows. No huge fish to report, but a bunch of decent ones. Good times, though. Take care everybody. Happy Mother’s Day! 9.22.07 Catching Up It’s been awhile since I’ve last checked in, but I’ll blame being busy for the delay. Things have been fast and furious for the past couple of months … on a variety of fronts. First, a little info on my artwork. I’ve worked on several new paintings since July, including a commissioned work for my Web Developer, Peter. Thanks Pete, for making this site possible and for doing such a great job showcasing my art. I hope Olivia and Elizabeth enjoy the butterfly painting. The “Jack of All Trades” painting mentioned in my last update is now featured on my Web site. The original is for sale at the Art House Gallery in Murfreesboro, and giclee prints are being offered in a limited edition (150) series. If you have any questions, please send me an e-mail. Last weekend, I participated in the third annual Greenway Art Festival in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The event proved to be a lot of fun, and it gave me a great chance to meet some really interesting people and to sell a few prints. On Sept. 23 and 27, the Tennessee Crossroads television story about me will air on Tennessee Public Television. I’m really looking forward to seeing the segment, as Crossroads is a fantastic program that reaches a broad audience across the state. Naturally, I’m thankful for the opportunity. On Oct. 1, I’ll begin a six-week stint at the Rutherford County (Tenn.) courthouse rotunda art gallery. A wide selection of my paintings will adorn the walls of this historic building in the center of Murfreesboro. Once again, I’m grateful for the chance to take part in this local showcase. On the fishing front, things have been slow in Tennessee, mainly because of the extreme drought conditions. While the temperatures have dropped to near normal (August brought brutal heat – over 100 degrees for over half the month), we still need some rain. That being said, I was fortunate enough to be asked to go on a last-minute, deep-sea fishing trip out of Destin, Fla., a couple of weekends ago. While I've had my share of offshore adventures (including some overnight trips), I had not done what was promised for this trip -- offshore oil rig fishing for yellowfin tuna and deepwater night fishing for swordfish. Intrigued and enthused, I left middle Tennessee Friday morning, picked up a couple of Alabama-based buddies en route, and made it to the docks just after dark. Joining two other fishing partners who had arranged the trip, the five of us met with Capt. Mike of the Fish-N-Fool, and promptly boarded his 40-foot sportfisher for an evening on the seas. And, the seas were angry that night, my friends. While I've found it difficult to sleep soundly while floating on any boat -- and especially in a foreign boat in the middle of the Gulf -- I found it impossible to sleep at all when negotiating six-to-eight foot waves. Undaunted, we pressed on, and after a restless night in a churning ocean, the sun came up and we began a marathon fishing day. Capt. Mike, who has a nice sense of humor, thought it would be best to begin our day fishing for big amberjacks in 350 feet of water. If you've ever fished for big jacks, you'll see the Captain's humor as being a little dark. AJs -- especially bigger ones -- are notorious for extended, bull-headed battles, punctuated by ripping runs (really, deep-water dives) and consistently-stubborn resistance. It's a little like trying to reel in an angry Volkswagen.  We were in the right spot, as our first drops resulted in bent
rods and groans from the three of us lucky enough to tie into one of these
reef donkeys. Capt. Mike skipped and jumped over a variety of "holes" throughout
the morning, as we caught amberjacks, almaco jacks, scamp (grouper), red
grouper, vermillion snapper and the occasional mysterious thing from the
deep. One of the AJs was my personal best -- a 60+ lb slob that nearly
dragged me over the side into the 10-foot swells. (The fishing Gods have
a dark sense of humor as well. On the next drop after the big AJ, they
blessed me with a near twin. Thank God I brought a healthy dose of Ibuprofen.)
My buddy, Fred, claimed the big fish of the day, however, with a 150 to
200 lb. silky shark.
As the boat filled with fish, two of our anglers went down with seasickness. The weatherperson was wrong -- the promised 1-2 foot waves were substantially bigger and the 10-15 mph winds were impressively stiffer. The three remaining amigos pressed on, however, as the sun began to set and the oil rigs appeared on the horizon. Floating in nearly 3000 feet of water, over 100 miles from our home port, with a gi-normous oil rig looming over our dwarfed boat, we set out lines at for tuna. Huge frigate birds betrayed the presence of yellowfin, as they dove among the explosions in the water off our port side. But, despite our attempts, the tuna proved picky and would not hit our offerings. Only a small blackfin and a decent-sized rainbow runner that had been bitten in half by a barracuda made it to the deck. As the sun lowered, Rodney, the first mate, spent about two hours setting up the myriad of swordfish rigs. Glowsticks, outriggers, huge squid, 400 lb mono -- all of it went into the presentation. And, sadly, it was all for naught, as the evening produced nary a run. That was disappointing, but from what I understand, just part of the swordfish hunt. The bigger seas and the persistent wind were blamed for the inactivity, although we saw plenty of action with the flying fish, squid and assorted creatures of the night swimming in our boat's lights. At 4 a.m., and working on my 40th consecutive hour of being awake, we restarted the tuna effort. This time, we were more successful, as we landed several yellowfin, blackfin and the occasional little tunny (they were BIG little tunnies, though). Fishing buddy Steve taking the big-fish honors by spending 20 minutes subduing 70 lbs of angry soon-to-be sashimi. With a 13 hour drive home ahead of us, we cleaned up as best we could, had a little breakfast, and slept for about half of the journey home. We had lines out, but surprisingly did not hook up with anything during our long troll back to Destin. Back at the docks at 7 p.m., Sunday, after 47 hours at sea, we toasted another fantastic trip. Special thanks (and big recommendations) to Capt. Mike and Rodney -- and especially to Guy and Russell, who helped arrange the trip. The Fish-N-Fool is a great boat with a great crew. I'll certainly go back in the future. And, most importantly for now, the freezer is well stocked with tuna, jack, grouper and snapper. I hope you enjoyed the tale of the trip. As always, the fishing inspired me to paint, and I’m back to work in my studio (aka, my kitchen table). Take care everyone, and please keep in touch. 6.30.07 All the way from Memphis This past weekend (June 22-24), I had the pleasure and honor to be one of the vendors at the third annual Mid-South Fly-Fishers (MSFF) Home Waters Expo in Germantown, Tenn. (near Memphis). While the extremely hot and muggy weather probably kept a lot of the potential customers home, inside and enjoying air conditioning, the event was a successful one from my standpoint. Yeah, I sold a few prints, but I also met some really neat people, including some fantastic fishermen and fisherwomen. Sean Leadon, a legendary bonefishing guide from Andros Island, Lori Ann Murphy, one of the world’s leading fly-fishing guides, Van VanGytenbeek, the CEO and President of the Federation of Flyfishers and the phenomenally-talented and influential duo of Dave and Emily Whitlock were among the notables at the Expo. As always, the MSFF were gracious hosts, and they put on a first-rate event. Each of the group’s members made a point to stop by my booth and talk a little about my art and our mutual interest in fishing. Great people, all of them, and I owe a special thanks to their president, Mike Isom, for his tremendous work in making this event possible. After the Expo wound down on Sunday afternoon, my wife, Betsy, and I packed up the car and headed three hours west to Heber Springs, Ark., for a couple of days fishing with my family on the famous Little Red River. While Monday brought an aggressive afternoon generation schedule, I did manage a few hours on the water with my Dad, my brother and Betsy. Dad had the best luck, dialing in several nice rainbows on a sowbug pattern that he tied. I fooled a few myself, but the highlight of the afternoon was a close encounter with the biggest brown I’ve ever seen. Fishing a small riffle just upstream from my parents’ cabin, I found a solid 20-inch brown working a pool just beyond a submerged tree. I employed every technique I knew of and changed flies at least six times, but could not entice this fish to bite. Exasperated, I stared at the water a few minutes trying to think out the whole deal. Then I saw it. Sitting motionless under the tree, this pig of upwards of 15 pounds rested on its orange belly at the head of the riffle, directly under the front edge of the tree. Instantly, my heart rate tripled. I floundered around in my fly-box trying to find an appropriate offering and decided upon a dead-drifted San Juan worm. The fish looked bored. A pheasant tail followed. Same deal. Changing tactics, I slowly worked my way upstream and tied on a big, black woolly bugger. This time, I think the brown actually laughed at me. Finally, I went back to the San Juan worm, but tied it under a large cicada attractor pattern. Zip, nada, nothing. The fish just wasn’t eating and eventually swam off to deeper water. To save face, I convinced myself that it was an un-catchable fish. But man, what a thrill. On Tuesday, I woke up early and headed to the river. I found myself shrouded in a blanket of fog – and surrounded with rude and uncooperative fish. For the first two hours, nothing – and I mean nothing – worked. My lanyard was filled with tried-and-failed flies before I finally hit on the right combo with a bead-head pheasant tail (my Dad’s specially-tied “magic pheasant tail”) drifted under an indicator. Five fish complied with my request, and I thought I had found the secret. Alas, two hours and zero trout later, I realized I hadn’t. Downstream, and now fishing a deep hole filled with downed timber, I spotted several cruising trout. Stepping out of the water up on to an elevated bank, I dead-drifted a bead-headed sowbug through the trees, and instantly connected with a solid rainbow. A good-sized brown followed (see picture), and several other 14- to 16-inch fish joined in on subsequent casts.  Realizing
the mystery had undoubtedly now been solved, I called my brother
and my Dad down to my new-found
honey hole and told them of my novel approach. My brother stuck with a spinning rod and a rooster
tail and caught the biggest brown of the trip – a fat 20-incher.
Dad kept getting bites, but couldn’t land his quarry. Later,
he discovered his sow bug fly was missing a key ingredient – a
hook. As Dad quietly cursed himself, I praised his sportsmanlike qualities
for practicing the ultimate in catch-and-release. The dead-drifted sowbug was a winner, as we continued to land quality fish throughout the day. I stayed with the approach for several hours before finally wearing out shortly before sundown. It was a great day in an absolutely beautiful place. Along with my family, I was joined by red-shouldered hawks, osprey, blue herons, white egrets, Canada geese, hummingbirds, a multitude of Carolina wrens, muskrats, raccoons, cave swallows, armadillos and the occasional deer. What a cool eco-system. On the art front, my segment on the Tennessee Wildside TV program ran again last weekend. And, the delayed-run of my Tennessee Crossroads piece should be aired within the next few weeks. Nine of my prints are now donning the walls at the Coppertop restaurant on Center Hill lake near Smithville, Tenn. This popular dining spot lies right in the middle of the huge Cove Hollow marina. The food and the atmosphere are equally great – and the fish-themed artwork ain’t so bad either. Additionally, several of my paintings will soon be featured on the walls of the City Hall Rotunda Gallery in downtown Murfreesboro, Tenn. This is a dream-come-true for me, and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity. The paintings will be hung on July 9 and will come down on August 30. Please stop by if you get a chance. Lastly, I just finished a new painting, titled “Jacks of All Trades.” For me, this is a big one – 21 by 29 inches – and I’ve had it scanned to make it available as a print. It will soon be featured on the Web site. 4.28.07 Welcome to the newest version of my Web site. Peter, my Web developer, did a fantastic job working with such a technically-deficient client like myself and creating a sharp-looking and user-friendly site. The gallery features an online portfolio of my most popular giclee prints. Many of the original paintings are still available for sale, so please feel free to contact me if you’re interested in them. I’m always flattered and honored when someone expresses interest in my artwork. In the past few months, I’ve had some pretty neat media opportunities. First, I was featured on a morning radio program out of Nashville, Tenn., called Outdoor Trail Magazine. I met the host, Andy Afflick, at the Mid-South Fly Fishers (MSFF) Expo in Germantown, Tenn., last summer. He was nice enough to follow up on our conversation and invite me to appear on his early-morning program. Andy’s a great guy and the experience was a ton of fun. The connection with Andy actually then led to two television appearances. The first, on Tennessee Wildside (aired on PBS throughout the state and in parts of Kentucky), aired in late March. If you’ve got a high-speed internet connection, you can visit their Web site (tnwildside.org) and watch my video via their free downloads. The segment was hosted by Tammi Arender, a local free-lance reporter, who found out about me via Andy. The second will be on Tennessee Crossroads (also on PBS), and the segment about me should air sometime in May. I’ll do my best to let you know in advance. Tammi again provided the reporting. On June 22-24, I’ll be in Germantown, Tenn., again to participate in the 2007 MSFF Expo. The MSFF club is a huge one, featuring over 700 members. The expo is open to the public and is a really fun event. The club’s members have been very supportive of me and my artwork, and I’m excited about being part of the Expo again. For more info about the event, please visit their Web site at http://www.msff.org. As other appearances are scheduled, I’ll keep you posted. Recently, I’ve completed a few commissioned works, and I’m currently hard at work on some new painting ideas. As I finish them, I’ll try to post some pictures. I’ll also periodically post new information on this “blog” – including the occasional fishing report! In the meantime, please enjoy my new site. And, I look forward to hearing from you. Dan |
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