October Cutthroat Trout & A Soo Brew

  For this new work I went back to what I know best; watercolor.  I also thought that it was somewhat fitting for the time of season with all the vampires and creepy killers on the loose.  After all, doesn't every cutthroat you have seen look like it has had its throat slashed?
  Anyway, I painted this with the Idaho trip I did this past summer on my mind.  I love cutthroat trout and have painted them before but each new painting is separate animal, not unlike the fish themselves.

I had intended to do a progressive photo record of this work but as often time happens, I got caught up in the flow of the work and completely forgot until the piece was nearly complete.  While painting with watercolors you need to lay color down all the time, careful to keep an eye on how the water is drying and mixing the pigments.  This process of layering and moving paint while racing the drying effects and sometimes waiting for the piece to dry just right before laying down another layer takes a fair amount of concentration and as such - this is the only progressive photo I got.

Also unlike oils, working in watercolors gives me the benefit of mobility.  It is extremely easy to pack a pad of paper, a few tubes of paint, and brushes into a carry on luggage than it would be to pack a stretch canvas, a variety of brushes and pallets, and larger tubes of paint.  Also a watercolor dries in hours while an oil takes weeks to completely dry.
For those wondering if this item will be for sale, the answer is no.  I did this work at the request of my father who asked for an original for a charity auction he is working with (For those in the northwest Washington area, you might be able to get in on this).  I will be however making a few prints available for purchase soon.  Feel free to Email Me if this is a work you would like to have as an 8x10 print.

"October Cutthroat"
6" x 8" Watercolor On
100% Cotton, Acid Free Hot Pressed Paper

Also I was in Sault St. Marie, Michigan the other day and stopped into the Soo Brew Company for one brew and ended up with a good dose of Soo brew.  Imagine bellying up to a bar in 1890 on the American frontier and ordering a beer and getting slid down to you a handed crafted brew that surpasses a lot of micro brews on the market.  If you can imagine that you need to visit Sault St. Marie Michigan where the the locals are known are yoopers and all others are known as trolls. 
I started the afternoon with the highly recommended Braveheart Stout (named after the owners dog) for a rich yet smoothly thick brew and then next the  Maggie's Red (a brew named after the ownrers daughter).

Both are great complex brews that are not only VERY smooth but also are so slowly brewed that they lack the harsh alcohols that cause a hangover.  I spent a little time with the owner and brew master to talk about his process.  I even watched as he tested and measured the alcohol and brew process of a few brews working in the vats behind the bar.  What a great place! 

Great people, Freaking great beer, and a locally owned brew I will support all day long.  The only beer I disliked was the GoldiLocks but I like the thicker more complex brews and he advised me that the Golilocks might not be my style.  I did witness a few local girls that ordered the Goldilocks but for me it just wasn't enough.  For a good in-between brew that might be lighter than a stout and thicker than a Goldi I'd say the Sooper Yooper IPA might be your speed but for me its absolutely the Stout or the Red.
I also spent a bit of time with the owners un-official taste tester and the guy that crafted all the hearty tables in the bar (as well as local craftsman) and got a good look at the soul of the soo.  Analysis, the Soo is about people that do and not people that rely on others to do for them.  Long story sort, If you are in the Soo and looking for a great place to kick back and drink some good brews, head to the SOO Brewing Company for the best brews around!!