Have you ever walked into a friend’s home or a business and been surprised by a piece of art?
I had plans to fish with Steve London on Labor Day. I walked into Steve’s guesthouse, and there on the table was a bass on a bass, as in Steve’s creation for the Edgartown Board of Trade’s Bass in the Grass Fundraiser. I may have let out a joyous squeak.
I immediately started asking questions, then paused, and ran out to my truck to get my notebook.
In case you don’t know, Steve is an artist. He creates fish prints using the Japanese art form of gyotaku, pronounced gee-oh-tah-koo, not “geo.” He took his first class in gyotaku in Hawaii in 2004. “I was immediately hooked. I couldn’t wait to get back here and catch fish,” said Steve, who once lived full-time on Island and now works as an anesthesiologist in Hawaii eight months of the year, and spends summers on-Island.
I looked at the bass on the table and asked the obvious question: When did you catch this fish?
Steve smiled. “A few weeks ago, around midnight, the windows were open, and I heard the tail slaps.” The sound was all Steve needed to hear to grab a rod and Storm Sand Eel and head out to his dock. “I could tell looking in the water that there were some keepers. They were slurping and swimming. One cast, and I got dinner.”
Though the fish was a keeper and going to be dinner, Steve had one additional thought: “‘I think I’ll print this guy.’ I put him in a garbage bag and put him in the fridge.”
Gyotaku is time-consuming. Steve needs four to six hours of uninterrupted time. He wasn’t going to begin the process after midnight.
“The next night I had a ball game on the radio, and I had plenty of time,” said Steve, who began by washing the fish. “I gave him a bath in the sink with soap and water. I got all the slime and sand off, then dried it with paper towels.”
Steve then needs to decide how he wants the fish to look. “With bluefish or bonito, I want the mouth open to show the teeth. With this bass, I wanted him to look alive. I put a slight curve in the body, and opened his mouth a little,” said Steve.
The fish gets pinned into place, and then inked. “I use the direct method. I put the water-based ink on the fish. There is usually too much ink on the first print or two. The first prints I do are almost always on the Gazette, because it’s big enough,” said Steve.
Normally the newspaper prints are thrown away, and then Steve switches to the pricey rice paper when the ink consistency on the fish is better. “The first print of this bass I thought, ‘That’s not bad.’” said Steve. “This one, I just saved it. The detail on this, even though it’s on newspaper, is really good.”
Ironically, “a week or two later, Monica [Brady-Myerov] asked me if I would be the Bass in the Grass artist for the Vineyard Gazette,” said Steve, adding, “I thought, ‘I have a bass printed on the Gazette. Who knew?!”
“That big, oversize paper is a critical part of my printing process. It’s perfect for printing a decent-size fish. I don’t jump right in with rice paper. It’s expensive,” said Steve, who accepted Monica’s invitation.
Once again I looked at the bass on the bass on Steve’s kitchen table. What did you name it? I asked. Steve grinned, “What’s Black and White and Re(a)d All Over.” Seriously, is that name perfect, or what?
Steve and I did get around to casting. Alas, we didn’t catch. Next time we’ll reel in something printworthy.
If you want to see “What’s White and Black and Re(a)d All Over” in person, as well as all the other gorgeous bass creations, you can visit them beginning Sept. 26 at the Carnegie Heritage Center in Edgartown. Bass in the Grass helps raise money for local artists, the EBT, and the Derby Scholarship Fund. You can bid at bassinthegrassmv.com.
You can check out Steve’s work at the Old Sculpin Gallery in Edgartown or Cousen Rose Gallery in Oak Bluffs.
Celebratory news
I love good news, so I have to share with you two awesome pieces of news. The Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters annual Used Tackle Sale had its most successful outing yet last Saturday. By 8 am, there were three dozen people lined up waiting for the sale to open. Islanders visited and purchased throughout the morning, right up until closing at 1 pm. It was busy, fun, and not a moment to sit down and relax, which was great.
Thanks in large part to the presale and organizational efforts of Donald Scarpone, all the club volunteers who helped, and all the Islanders who shopped, the MVSA sold $29,000 worth of fishing tackle and gear. Last year, the club raised $18,000, and that was a record-breaking year.
The Surfcasters will donate the proceeds to two wonderful organizations on the Island: the MVRHS Scholarship Fund and Martha’s Vineyard Community Services Veterans Outreach. The club will give away two $7,500 scholarships next June to two graduating MVRHS seniors, and will donate a total of $11,000 to MVCS to furnish one of the 12 housing units at the soon-to-be built veterans’ housing in Oak Bluffs.
A huge shout-out to Xavier Sherman, who celebrated his 13th birthday on Leland Beach on Chappy last weekend. Xavier, who is obviously an exceptionally intelligent young man, asked for a rod and reel for his birthday. He then took his birthday gifts to the beach with his family and caught a black sea bass, which he released after a few birthday photos. Happy birthday, Xavier! I visited you in the hospital after you were born. Now I hope to cheer for you onstage at the Derby awards ceremony.
We have fewer than 10 days to go until the start of the Derby. I hope to see you on the beach, scouting out the best Derby spots, so we can weigh in fish worthy of gyotaku printing.
Brilliantly written