EARLY RISER
Egg Tempera
Private Collection
27 x 38 inches
The Judy and Elias Newman Memorial Award (First Prize),
48th Annual of the National Society of Painters in Casein & Acrylic
The artist was approached to do a painting by a gentleman who had been a fly fisherman his whole life but was no longer able to fish due to ill health. Invited to his home to see his collection of fly fishing equipment, the artist was impressed by the immaculate condition of this collection of equipment which was amassed over sixty years from the time he was thirteen years old. He encouraged the artist to select whatever he wanted to include in the painting. Fastidious care was exercised to keep the original boxes of the reels in pristine shape and his custom bamboo rods were stored for future generations to enjoy and, for the artist, it was really like being in a sporting goods shop on Christmas morning. The result was the painting “Early Riser” referring not only to the man and the discipline needed to be successful on the stream but to the trophy trout itself.