Overview

The captivating watercolors of James Prosek, the artist the New York Times calls ""the Audubon of the fishing world."" In the tradition of his acclaimed Trout: An Illustrated History, renowned naturalist, artist, and fisherman James Prosek captures thirty-five of the most pursued game fish—from striped bass to tarpon, swordfish to bonefish—as well as many creatures that share these marine ecosystems through rich, highly detailed watercolors painted specifically for this volume. Each painting reflects Prosek’s individual experience with a single fish. The artist traveled the world to experience firsthand each species just out of the water before the fish lose their true colors. The original works are life-size portraits (from a 14-inch porgy to a 12?-foot blue marlin), and details from the originals are reproduced at full size to give a sense of scale. This book is a must-have for saltwater anglers, conservationists, art lovers, and anyone passionate about the beauty of the coastline and the mysteries swimming off its shores.

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9780847839070

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Prosek, who is a naturalist and adventurer, but also a very good writer and painter, has traveled the world fishing its oceans, and in Ocean Fishes paints a picture, in words and images, that is beautiful and yet alarming. As the publisher says, this book contains the author's quiet conservation statement. Publishers Weekly<br>

Prosek urges people to see nature, and especially the fish he loves so dearly, in a new light: Forget taxonomic checkboxes and biodiversity and ecosystem services, and think about a single creature's life. Wired Magazine <br> A must-have for everyone from the art lover to the saltwater angler, OCEAN FISHES is a treasure from our vast and mysterious seas. The Manual.com -The Essential Guide for Men <br> What Prosek asks you to do is to open your eyes to the beauty of the world, and then think of how ephemeral that beauty is, and how death is always there amidst the beauty. At a time, in winter, when most of us will be indoors and few of us will be out with nature, spending some time with Prosek is good for the soul. The Art Blog.org<br> <br> With Ocean Fishes: Paintings of Saltwater Fish, James Prosek demonstrates his steady growth as an artist since his well-known 1996 Trout: An Illustrated History, which--although Prosek was just out of college when that book was published--demonstrated a mastery of the art of painting fish species with an accuracy so vivid the result seemed almost unreal. But natural history illustration, valuable as it is in any era, has often taken a backseat to painting, a more imaginative and perhaps a more expressive art. In assaying the representation of marine fishes, Prosek not only sticks to his mission as an illustrator who wants to depict species with a strict eye to accuracy of form and color, but he also emerges as an interpreter of nature into the realm of the painterly. The 35 marine game species brilliantly depicted here--in full form and in detail views--glow with the imaginative suggestiveness of accurate illustration carried out at the level of Prosek's intense attention, a paradox I can only imagine the still-young artist and naturalist enjoys exploring. You can truly enjoy Prosek's mesmerizing renditions of barracudas, tarpon, blue marlin, and the rest. --- Gray's Sporting Journal <br> Prosek, who is a natural

Author Information

James Prosek made his authorial debut with Trout: An Illustrated History, and is a contributor to the New York Times. He also cofounded the conservation initiative World Trout with Patagonia owner Yvon Chouinard. Robert M. Peck is a curator and senior fellow of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Christopher Riopelle is curator of post-1800 paintings at the National Gallery, London. Peter Matthiessen is a National Book Award–winning novelist and nonfiction writer.

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