Mackerel Fishing, artwork and other stories

Those who know me also know that most of my artwork and designs are experiments – some more elaborate than others of course!

I’ve been creating a few artworks and framed prints recently where I have focussed on a particular memory, vision or experience. Some of my artwork includes hand painted layers; this is because I love the 3D effect and the extra visual experience the results can give the viewer. Most of my 3D style pieces involved 2 x additional hand painted layers, this one however, has just one layer to add to the ‘dimension’ where the results enhance the design

Often I have ideas floating around in my head that keep surfacing every now and then and this was one of them! It’s not a real place nor is it created from a specific scene. But it does remind me of a wonderful weekend at my Mum & Dads place many years ago in Pembrokeshire. We went Mackerel fishing, a first time for me and our son who was about 11yrs at the time. It was an early start and a drive to a launch pad we didn’t know, so all we could do was prepare for the day the best we could. My husband had been sea fishing many times in the past and he was delighted that we joined him on what he referred to as a shore side trip, as opposed to his usual deep sea fishing ventures!

It was such a beautiful sunny day and the sea was calm. I had no idea about the techniques involved in catching Mackerel until that day. We were out at sea for several hours, bobbing about in the clear waters looking out for shoals of fish; easy to spot as they glisten and dart under the surface of the water. This was also the first time I’d seen a Mackerel close up, I was surprised and impressed by the array of colours and shimmery sparkles they have.

The funny thing was, out of the 3 of us, I caught the most fish on that trip and the best bit was having a BBQ with my parents on our return for a fresh meal (tastes so good)

Setting the scene

Reminiscent of our own Mackerel fishing trip, the Mackerel seem to have escaped the boat and could be found swimming happily on the opposite side!

There are several elements I wanted to try to create to achieve the right mood in this artwork, I’m sure you can judge if I get there or not! As a traditional seaside pastime and an essential skill, I’ve included a traditional British fishing boat in red and white. The stunning blue sky; reflective of the summer and evoking reflective, ideal happy feelings. An array of screaming gulls overhead, tracking the boat expecting tip bits or a sneaky swoop for dinner, I don’t think there was a moment when there wasn’t one at the back of the boat

The Artwork

So the artwork itself, using my own reference imagery and a little research, I drew each element individually to develop and create my final composition. (The seagulls have been a study before on another trip, to Whitby North Yorkshire) I created the canvas print background digitally, using many layers and overlays until I was happy I had the composition I had in mind. Printed onto a quality cotton canvas; using quality inks, this image is made to last (although I wouldn’t recommend it was placed in direct sunlight) the transparent acrylic overlay is uniquely hand painted and added to the images using ‘spacers’ to get the depth I wanted to achieve. I wanted to try to show some of the beautiful details of this stunning fish so included a couple close up in the composition. These are the original artwork, part of my final product.

You can see the final size and other details along with my other work on my website online shop

I hope someone will be able to relate to the image and share the nostalgic sense of the British coast at its best!

Angela