Interview- Artist Becca Schlaff

I first ran into Becca at the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo this last March.  I was instantly drawn to her artwork- her use of color and abstraction beautifully capture the essence of fish. We talked briefly then, but I finally got the chance to sit down and interview her recently.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed conducting it.

FR- Becca- why fish?

Becca- A few years ago a friend who is a fly fisherman asked me to do a painting.  He asked me to do a big canvas of a brown trout for his fly shop Nomad Anglers, and everything developed for me as an artist from there. It clicked for me- the colors and textures of the fish and water. I grew up in the country and had previously done animal portraits and fashion design.  The colors grab me in a certain way, combined with the movement of the water, the colors of the fish, the light and reflections.

FR- How would you describe your art, what is your style?  

Becca- I use an expressionistic approach.  Expressionists are the ones that clicked with me, using the paint itself to speak, creating a visual language of texture, layers and transparency with my own emotional reaction.  Abstract expressionism enters in, the play of chance versus control, almost the opposite of my original work.  You see my own commentary emerge from the paint.  The coolest thing for me is when a line or the colors match a picture of a fish I’ve seen, or times I've been on the water, seeing a fish through the water and shifting light and reflections.

FR- So becoming a fisherman yourself has added to or informed your art? 

Becca- Definitely- I’m still learning so much about it.  Everyone tells me to take it one step at a time.   Art and fly fishing are very similar- it seems like the more you let yourself go, the better it is.  The amazing thing about fly fishing and art is that it is enough to just relax and realize I’m in a beautiful place. 

FR- Could you make a go of this without fishermen?  In other words, does fish art translate across the artistic and art consuming world?  

Becca- It does, it definitely crosses both worlds.  Some are anglers who like art, others are collectors who appreciate my work.  Some (non-fishermen) don’t recognize what it is at first, but when I tell them it’s fish the seem to appreciate it all the more.   I can always tell who the fly fishermen are though- they walk right in and love it, they go crazy.

FR-What do you do to escape?  Is it something outdoors, or does it involve Netflix?

Becca- A little of both.  My best escape is going outdoors.  On a walk with my dog, or a longer hike, or something on the water.  I just cancelled my cable, but I do Netflix too.

FR- Which came first, fishing or painting fish? 

Becca- Fish painting, but fly fishing was the next step.  I grew up boating and kayaking, and love spending time on the water.  I went to Montana and had a great time fishing there this summer.  Fly fishing, for me, has brought my art back full-circle.  I'm so happy to experience what I'm trying to depict in my work.

FR- Do you ever fear being type-cast as an artist?

Becca- I don’t.  I don’t know if that’s good or bad.  I haven’t really thought about it.

FR- Do you ever need a break from painting fish?

Becca- I do occasional landscapes.  I just did an abstract of someone casting.  My memory of a friend who could really cast, I loved the long loops and the lighting.

FR- You’ve been featured by Midcurrent, The Fiberglass Manifesto, and American Angler- is your art changing as you get wider exposure, and if so how?

Becca- I don’t think so.  It’s really cool to get the exposure.  It makes me more committed to what I’m doing.  Things change over time.  I seem to be doing more abstracts.  I’ve only been doing just fish for about a year, so I feel that I’m still a newbie, still developing.

this painting is based, in part, on a photo by yours truly

FR- I see you went fly fishing in Montana this year- if budget weren’t an issue, what would be your ultimate fly fishing destination?

Becca- Alaska, Belize, Italy, Chile- Facebook and its network of anglers has exposed me to a lot of places I didn’t know about.

FR- What’s your favorite fish?

Becca- It’s hard- brown trout?  You probably want me to say brook trout. (I laugh- no)

FR- You seem to capture a lot of motion in your paintings- how do you accomplish that?

Becca- I think that’s from the way I handle and apply the paint.  Layering and dripping, I move the canvas around a lot, they go through a lot of 360 degree rotations.  Sometimes I remove paint, or use a knife to scrape or drag it.  There's a lot of techniques, but it's about capturing a feeling, my reaction to what I'm seeing.

FR- Are fish a metaphor for something bigger in your life?  

Becca- It affects my soul- the water and colors of the fish and how I grew up in the country.  I think it's all tied together.

FR- Commissions aside, what determines that a fish picture gets turned into a painting- do you see each fish as a blank canvas, or does it take some back-story to inspire you?

Becca- It depends.  Sometimes I get a photo with a story, but I do think each fish is a blank canvas.  I typically have a million pictures out for each painting.  I might use three different pictures of brown trout with pictures of light and water to trigger that emotional response  in myself in that expressionist process I talked about.

FR- My personal approach to art is like or dislike, without a whole lot of thought to the process.  What do you say to art Neanderthals like myself-  what wisdom can you share in art appreciation?

Becca- I'm always surprised- fishermen always walk into my booth at art shows, say they don't know anything about art and then come up with these amazing insights, things I haven't seen in my paintings.  I think fly fishing, being an art, makes fly fishermen more open to art.

FR- What’s on your iPod?

Becca- I have a horrible mix of stuff.  Alternative, classic rock, but I have my Lady Gaga and Pitbull.  I play more upbeat high energy stuff when working on a canvas.  I listen to Pandora a lot.

FR- When’s the last time you took a knife to a canvas?

Becca- (Laugh’s) Never! I think I ought to sometimes, but never.

FR- What artists and art forms inspire you?

Becca- My number one is Gerhard Richter, he’s more of a contemporary style artist I learned about in school.  One of my professors turned me on to him.  It’s where my love of the colors and textures of paint came from.

FR- I’ve seen photos of your latest brown trout abstract, which is definitely more abstract than others I’ve seen.  Is this a direction you’re moving in?

Becca- I think it’s the direction I’ve been in.  My early work is similar.  It’s a fine line, whether I use one shot for more realism, or use several to create connections.  I think I just have degrees of abstraction, though those canvasses may be some of the most abstract I’ve done.

I really want to thank to Becca for participating.  I love her artwork and so will you.  Make sure you check out her artwork on her website http://becca-schlaff.com/blog/, or join her on Facebook.  Her studio is in East Lansing, Michigan.

You can find Becca at the following art shows, among others.

January 7, 2012 at Indiana on the Fly

Jan 21,22 at the Islamorada Fine Art Expo

February 11,12 in Bonita Springs, Florida

February 18,19 in Sarasota.

March 10 Midwest Fly Fishing Expo in Warren, Michigan.

Becca wants to fish when she's in Florida in February- help a gal out, give her some tips, share guide contact info, or better still if you live there, take her fishing.

Monday Morning Coffee- September 19

Monday, Monday, MONDAY!!!  It's here again.  No sense crying about it.  Face it and move on.    Let's have some coffee.

After being gone from home four weekends in a row, I had to settle in and get some work done, including yesterday.  I did a car spot for Phil Friday on the Boyne River, and despite there being salmon present, I did not bring my gear.  It still amazes me to see yard-long fish in such a shallow clear stream.  Sunday I made myself go back out on my local brook trout water and see what I could do.

A nice selection from Angler's Choice Flies

The twist, is that I had contacted Michael Schmidt of Angler's Choice Flies some time back about getting some hopper patterns from him for an article I had in the works.  Mike went on a big trip to Alaska, and I did my Nipigon trip, but when I returned home from Detroit last week, I found an envelope in the mail with half a dozen flies in it.  With no real hatches happening, terrestrial is the only way to go right now, and the brook trout are feeding, trying to get ready for fall spawning.  Mike's flies didn't disappoint, and I had a rise on the very first cast. I managed to catch a couple of fish which was gratifying.  When I reached a very large beaver dam I had to change it up a bit.  It held fish, but they were very line shy, and not inclined toward naturals at all. That orange/black Chernobyl ended up producing.  I only caught a half-dozen fish, but with clear skies, very low and clear water, high wind and spooky fish, I counted the day as a success.

results

One thing I want to say about Angler's Choice Flies- Mike Schmidt is one of the best contemporary tiers out there.  He does it all, but his specialty is streamers, and his streamers are incredible.  Mike definitely has a style.  His streamers hit all the buttons, and if you're after big trout you need to check his website out and order some flies.  He has everything from classics, to modern patterns by Senyo and Galloup, to his own original creations which are on par with anything out there.  Check it out, get some.  Mike also has a blog that cover's his tying and fishing that I think you'll enjoy, if you're not following it already.

As I write this we're receiving our first big rain of the fall season, which will push the salmon into the rivers big-time.  I may have to head out this evening and see what I can find.  I also have to put together my September piece for my Angler's Year series, so I'll try to get that up this week.  I hope you all have a great week.

Let's get after it.

Brook Trout Theory

Author's note- I wrote this piece not too long after catching what was at the time my biggest brook trout ever in June of this year.  I wrote it to share some insight and techniques, but also because I was surprised at some criticism I received over my choice of fly etc. never mind that I had actually caught the fish.  I wrote the piece for Fontinalis Rising, and at the last minute submitted it to The Cedar Sweeper Magazine for publication.  It ended up being my first published piece ever.  My thanks to Chuck Sams for his continued interest in my work.  I'm posting it here now so that my blog audience can read it.  As you know, I went to Nipigon Ontario later this summer and caught much bigger brookies than this one but found that my ideas pertaining to brook trout held true; some pics of those fish are also included toward the bottom.  I hope you enjoy and find this piece useful.  JT/FR

Since I am a newly minted expert on brook trout, having landed a personal best 16-incher as of late, I'd like to share some nuggets. Yes I'm chest thumping.  Please forgive.

I've gotten some sourgrapes criticism for catching my big brook trout on a chernobyl pattern, which is basically a Whopper wrapper on a hook.  I have one thing to say to this, but a picture is worth a thousand "Ha, ha"s.

I have three methodologies when fishing brook trout- Match the Hatch, Stimulator, and Sub-surface.  Guess which produces the most? It ain't Match the Hatch.

Here's what I've found.  Brook trout are not brown trout.  For example, I fished that river, that day, because I knew that the weather would have the browns put down, but that I'd have a snowballs chance at a nice brookie.  It was overcast, chilly and we had had a serious dump of rain, but that stretch of river does not dirty up readily.

this fish will always be a favorite

Now, given those conditions, and that there were no active bugs, I went Stimulator.  What is it?  It's anything from a stimulator pattern, to a Whopper-on-a-Stick - yeah, a Chernobyl.  Stimulator is legs, eyes, color, flash, hair and size- anything that pushes buttons, usually to the extreme.  A natural insect has legs, which they articulate and pulse in order to swim or in distress.  Big rubber legs pulse and twitch, like legs cut off by a freight car.  It hits that button, with a jackhammer.

I use Stimulator patterns any time the fish are down, the bite is off, the weather is changing, it's bright, it's hot, it's cold and so on.  Any type of disturbance in the Brook Trout Force.  That big Chernobyl, that day, said big meal to a big trout, and with flash, size, and legs, it pushed a lot of buttons.

Sub-surface- i.e. streamers etc.  Brook trout like all trout do most of their feeding underwater.  They are most comfortable not having to show themselves to land- and air-based predators.  Nymphs work, but soft hackles are deadly on brook trout.  Swing, baby, swing.  A lot of brook trout rivers are too small and have soft bottoms that aren't suited to downstream fishing.  You can fish soft hackles upstream, or even indicator fish them.  They love partridge and orange.
Streamers are my favorite for brook trout, and I've landed nice fish, 10" and up on muddlers, black nosed dace, and Mickey Finns.  Red and yellow are big draws for brook trout, and I've recently started tying size 6 Zoo Cougars with a red collar- I have a hunch this will catch the biggest brookie in any river.  I'll get back to you on that.  I could lull you to sleep with the blah blah on woolly buggers.  Yes they work. 'Nuff  said.   Black, Olive, purple- knock yourself out.  Skunks are a red hot fly for brookies as well.

Match-the-Hatch.  Yes, there are times when brookies are keyed in and keyed up on specific bugs.  The other night it was blue-winged olives, but only in certain stretches of river. In other stretches, it was sulfur emergers.  I've had maddening evenings, with nice fish rising and big mayflies in the air and on the water, only to find, belatedly, that they were feeding exclusively on the few caddis that were hatching.  Why?  ??  ?????  Yeah, your guess is as good as mine.

this fall fish went for a BWO

In the end, what I've found is that big brook trout don't care that much about flies.  You'll catch fish in the 8"-14" range on bugs, but after that they want meat.  Crayfish, sculpins, your mothers gallbladder.  It's funny, but that fish I caught last week was not an anomaly.  They actually become more vulnerable to Big Ugly as they get older and bigger.  While browns are the fly connoisseurs, brook trout don't sip.  They gulp and glug.  I caught a ten inch brookie on the Rapid River about 6 years ago and noticed he had a twig sticking out of his mouth.  I pulled the "twig" out and found out it was attached to the half-digested body of a mouse.  A TEN INCH brook trout ate a mouse.  Makes you think, don't it.

What brook trout want, is respect.  You have to be quiet, cautious, accurate and direct.  Flub the presentation and you're done.  Line them on a clear day- move on to the next hole.  While last weeks fish was a personal best, I've caught a lot of 14 inch fish, and learned a lot of lessons.  One fly for brook trout? That orange Chernobyl.  Two?  A Joe's Hopper.  Three? A skunk. Four? A sculpin of your choice.  I'm not fishing for tiddlers.  After that? A stimulator, a size 12 elk hair caddis, and soft hackles.

Now go get 'em.

Fontinalis and fontinalis, Nipigon ON

Dispatches From Nipigon- Monday August 22

Good morning Nipigon!  The coffee pictured is yesterdays, brewed at Rabbit Blanket Lake, in Lake Superior Provincial Park.  Live blogging is almost impossible here, unless I wanted to sit around some crappy truck stop here, which I don’t.  We got a late start Saturday- thankfully the boat was good enough to break down before we left instead of while we we’re ten miles into the canyon here.  The canyon is 300-400 feet deep, the river powerful, and not the place to lose your motor.  The revised plan is to explore all the accesses to the river we can find for walk and wade opportunities, which, while limited, are said to exist.  We have the kayaks and will explore some Stillwater sections, hopefully being able to paddle out to islands or reefs, or to access different shoreline structures and get out and cast.  Then we’ll locate a local boat to rent for a couple of days to hit more inaccessible areas of the river. 

We stopped in Wawa for breakfast yesterday, as thunder had preempted a campfire breakfast.  We drove through the lightening and rain, on through the spruce and granite, past muskeg sloughs and small lakes.  I wanted to stop and cast at every little creek we passed, but one word beckoned us onward- Nipigon. So onward past Obatanga, White River, the gold mines, Pukaskwa, Marathon, Terrace Bay.  Past the campy signs to small cottage resorts.  “Very, very clean” boasts one sign for a motel near White River.  White River itself spuriously claims to be the home of Winnie the Pooh- an odd claim for for a character created by an Englishman.  If Winnie the Pooh were truly from White River, his playground would have been called the “Million Acre Wood”.

Lake Superior near Neys Park

We found a lovely place to camp on Lake Jessie, part of the Nipigon system, then fished below Alexander’s dam.  With the passing of yesterday’s front, the fish seemed to be pretty well shut down.  Everyone complained that the fishing was dead.  Here’s hoping.  It’s a large, somewhat intimidating system, lots of current and big water, and without a boat this will be a challenge, but we got some good intel on places to kayak into, so we’ll give it a go, and there’s some other rivers that are worth looking into.  There were fish rising all over the lake this morning, including right in front of camp, and I had one decent fish hit a mouse pattern, a very exciting development.  There’s too much to tell, so I’m going to end it here.  Enjoy the couple of pictures, I’ll try to get some fish in them and post later this week.

Sunrise on Jessie Lake

The Run-Up to Nipigon- Gear

My big trip to Nipigon Ontario, in search of giant brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) is fast approaching. We leave August 20.  I've had several gear needs develop over the last weeks and months, as well as some wants.

Last fall I bought some Frogg Toggs waders for $100, then immediately put 30 miles of dry hiking on them and generally thrashed them ever since.  I also bought $60 wading boots at the same time that left a lot to be desired.  The side walls started blowing out a couple of weeks ago, and I know they're not long for this world. The waders have leaked since May.
So, when I got rained out of work today, I made my way down to The Northern Angler fly shop in Traverse City to get some gear.  I'll have to admit that I almost ordered stuff online, but thought better of it.  For one thing, I would have been just guessing at the sizing, and spending that much money on stuff I hadn't tried on made me nervous.  I also like to support local businesses whenever I can, and I love what Brian Pitser is doing at TNA.

First the boots- the side walls on my current cheap pair started blowing out a couple of weeks ago, and have proceeded to decline at a rapid pace.  My buddy Tim got a pair of Korkers with the aircraft cable lacing system and swears by them.  I ended up getting the Simms RiverTek BOA boots with the Vibram sole.  I've heard a lot of back and forth about felt versus the Vibram sole, especially now that Simms has decided to bring felt back into the fold, but several of my friends swear by the Vibram and so I took a leap of faith.  I love the BOA lacing system, and the support in this boot feels amazing.

Then, the waders- I've been fighting this leak in my Frogg Toggs since early spring.  I think for the price they were excellent waders, but not up to the abuse I put them through.  I fish way too much, and bushwhack way too much.  I was interested in a set of Redington Sonic Pro waders, but they didn't have them in my size.  These Simms Freestone stockingfoots are very popular, and I wore them aroung the shop for about a half hour.  They're incredibly comfortable, the fit was just right, and I loved the fact that the features of the waders are made to mesh with the boots.   I did try on the Redington Sonic Pro pants but the clip on the gravel guards doesnt work well with the loop on the Simms boots, and so I gave up on that option.  I'm really happy with my choice- they were $50 cheaper than the Redington's, and they are designed to work with the boots, which I like.  I should add that Brian threw in a Simms Taco gear bag for buying boots and waders, which will provide great storage for travel.

Next- Water shoes.  I have this pair of Teva open toe sandals that I've had for years, and continue to use for sentimental reasons, but it seems like every time I go out, I hurt my feet somehow.  Sunday's kayaking trip was the last straw- I slipped on something in the river and jammed something sharp under a toenail.  The ensuing infection..... I'll stop there, suffice it to say that I decided it was time to get water shoes.  I need more protection, especially for my kayaking, and for walking the flats on those slick rocks up at Sturgeon Bay.  I was going to head to Dunham's Sports after I left The Northern Angler, but then these Simm's Stream Tread sandals caught my eye.  They have the Stream Tread Vibram sole, a hard toe that should offer lots of protection, and at $90 the price was right.

Finally- the rod.  I have three 8 weight rods.  One is an old glass heirloom.  One is a Redington Crosswater that I use for chuck 'n' duck for salmon and steelhead, and the last is my Flextec.  I've broken the tip off of it twice and just glued a new one on each time.  I don't really want to pay to mail a $100 rod back to England to have it fixed in the middle of steelhead season.  To its credit, I've learned to double haul with it, I caught my first carp, loads of steelhead and salmon, and that giant brown on it.  But this trip is all about streamer fishing, and I'll be working a rod harder than I ever have.  I'll be fishing for brook trout in the 3-9 pound range- fish as big as the browns I fish at home.  The Nipigon river is another consideration- it is big and deep, with loads of boulder structure, and a heavy current.  I'll be fishing a 350 grain Streamer Express line and 4-6 inch streamers all day long.  I want need a cannon.  My buddy Phil has a 6 weight Temple Fork Outfitters TiCRX streamer rod.  I've fished it a lot and can tell you it is a dream to cast.  I ordered an 8 weight TiCRX from Brian and can't wait to use it. CANNON!
And lastly (does that come after Finally?)- tying materials.  I loaded up on some gaps in the supply.  The vise is going with me on this trip.  I'm going to throw everything I know and have at these fish.  Also, I lost my entire smallmouth/carp box in June, and so stocked up on brown and rusty colors.  I don't know how much of that kind of fishing I'll get in from here on out, but I want to be prepared.

I spent more money than I like to at one time, but it was just the way it worked out.  If my old waders and boots weren't on their way out, I wouldn't have gotten new just for a big trip. But with fall salmon, steelhead and brown trout fishing coming up fast I need to be ready.  I feel like a walking Simm's advertisement now, but that's just the way it worked out.  I have no affiliations with Simm's and I'm not endorsed by them in any way.  I've long been aware that they make quality products.

I'd like to thank Brian Pitser and the crew at The Northern Angler for their helpfulness.  Brian's pricing is competitive, they are very knowledgeable about their products, his store is always well stocked, and they'll spend all the time with you that you need to make a decision and feel comfortable with your purchases.  You might think that I would have wanted to save the $50 on gas I spent driving to Traverse City and just order the stuff online, but it was too much money being spent to just order this stuff sight unseen, and my shopping experience at TNA reaffirmed the role of the local fly shop in my mind.