Standing in a river fishing, the surface film takes a kind of mental visualization to understand what lies beneath. Like painting, it's what I don’t see that is most important. I have to imagine the fish below a reflection and a contrasting current and believe in its presence. It takes a kind of honesty the whole while being able to self-edit and correct to remain genuine and in the moment. Painting is simply a whole series of decisions based on the unseen and the seen, combined with an emotional component. I suppose the success relies completely on focus and consistency. The emotional component comes from actually being there in the very moment of inspiration. Fly fishing, like painting, is a practice of the ephemeral combined with creative visualization. I suppose both inspire me to visualize the unseen.
