After only a couple hours sleep after a night spent floating the river with Jason and Phil, the iPhone alarm clock started beeping loud enough to wake me. This meant it was time to get cleaned up and ready for a few hours of fly fishing small brook trout water near Petoskey before driving up to the Upper Penninsula for the rest of the weekend with Adam Tsaloff and James Deloria.
Adam had graciously offered his basement bedroom and it was a perfect base camp for the duration of five days in northern Michigan. I showered, ate a bowl of cereal, organized some gear for the day, and then Adam and I were off to a small river which holds native brook trout by way of James Deloria's house which doubles as his art studio as well.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
James and I have conversed through email and phone calls for the past year or so and I've been impressed with his artwork that ranges across many mediums including his infamous trout themed canoes.
It was neat to take a walk with James through the yard, into the garage, and then into his house to see what all he's been up to lately. One thing that is immediately noticeable is the camouflage on everything from the canoes, to his car, to his fly rods, to his water bottle. The fellow has a knack for camo and has several designs of his own making. Think freestyle camouflage.
Of course there were a half dozen canoes in various stages of completion including a blacked out Wenonah with a brook trout head and skeleton drawn on the sides. I can't wait to see this one complete.
Besides his own artwork and photographs which hung on the walls of the house, James also had several pieces from friend and artist Stephen Kendall which were quite impressively done. The steelhead in charcoal has been caught and kept for dinner years ago and the buck's blood was kept and splattered over the paper which was a fitting tribute to a stellar fish taken and made into art.
Before Adam and I left to go find a few brook trout, James placed two bushy dry flies in my hand which he had dubbed the "TraverTried'nTrude" and wished us good luck.
As Adam and I got back into the SUV and pulled out of the driveway James was busy again giving his travel rod tube the "camo treatment" with a couple cans of spray paint.
No doubt...James lives his art.
James Deloria can be reached by email if you'd like to discuss commission artwork.
Adam had graciously offered his basement bedroom and it was a perfect base camp for the duration of five days in northern Michigan. I showered, ate a bowl of cereal, organized some gear for the day, and then Adam and I were off to a small river which holds native brook trout by way of James Deloria's house which doubles as his art studio as well.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
James and I have conversed through email and phone calls for the past year or so and I've been impressed with his artwork that ranges across many mediums including his infamous trout themed canoes.
It was neat to take a walk with James through the yard, into the garage, and then into his house to see what all he's been up to lately. One thing that is immediately noticeable is the camouflage on everything from the canoes, to his car, to his fly rods, to his water bottle. The fellow has a knack for camo and has several designs of his own making. Think freestyle camouflage.
Of course there were a half dozen canoes in various stages of completion including a blacked out Wenonah with a brook trout head and skeleton drawn on the sides. I can't wait to see this one complete.
Besides his own artwork and photographs which hung on the walls of the house, James also had several pieces from friend and artist Stephen Kendall which were quite impressively done. The steelhead in charcoal has been caught and kept for dinner years ago and the buck's blood was kept and splattered over the paper which was a fitting tribute to a stellar fish taken and made into art.
Before Adam and I left to go find a few brook trout, James placed two bushy dry flies in my hand which he had dubbed the "TraverTried'nTrude" and wished us good luck.
As Adam and I got back into the SUV and pulled out of the driveway James was busy again giving his travel rod tube the "camo treatment" with a couple cans of spray paint.
No doubt...James lives his art.
James Deloria can be reached by email if you'd like to discuss commission artwork.
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