Tiger Trout Painting

 

  Sometimes you need to escape your comfort zone to achieve something special and I think I did just that with this painting.  As most of you know, I am primarily a watercolor artist and am really comfortable with that medium.  I have done a few oils and acrylics before but have never got a good feel for it  On this one however, I thought I'd give it another shot.

    Like most anglers that are in tune with the world of fish artwork, certain artists names are easily recognizable and heavily sought after.  If you like salt water fish then Guy Harvey is your guy but if you like fly fishing for the American fresh water species then the biggest name out there has got to be Derek DeYoung.  Other great artists also come to mind but the real hot ticket for trout artwork has got to be Derek.  His stuff is on everything from beer glasses, to flasks, fly boxes, tee shirts, and even drift boats.  If you have been to a fly shop in the last five years then you have seen his work and all of it is brilliant.

    Well, as you can tell, I am a big fan of his work.  My watercolor style may be completely different than his oils and acrylics but it hasn't dampened my desire to try my hand at a style of painting trout that he has made famous.  This artistic representation of a Tiger Trout is an acrylic on canvas and giving credit were credit is due I would feel like a real dolt if I didn't directly attribute this style of painting to Derek.  Of course the subject and design is still all me.

  Anyway, enough hero worship.  I painted this just to see if I could and I think I did it justice.

     So what is a Tiger Trout you ask.  Its a freak of nature.  A sterile cross between a Brown Trout and a Brook Trout, it is one of the few instances in the world where two groups can interbreed to produce offspring.  It is only possible through a rare (or laboratory controlled) heat shock to streams where spawning Brown and Brook trout live.  The dramatic change in weather allows the Brook Trout (with 84 chromosomes) fertilize Brown Trout (only 80 chromosomes) eggs and produce the distinctive Tiger Trout.
    Known for their aggressive appetite for eating other fish, the tiger has been used by stream managers to control populations of invasive fish and since it is sterile there is no danger of mixing them into the native population.  Eventually they will die off and the stream can return to normal.

"The Tiger"

16in X 20in.

Acrylic on Canvas
(and wife says its going into the living room, soooo Its not for sale)