Bill Voigt
Gyotaku Artist
(510) 672-5267
[email protected]
Other web pages:
http://artsofpointrichmond.com/gallery/billvoigt.html
(510) 672-5267
[email protected]
Other web pages:
http://artsofpointrichmond.com/gallery/billvoigt.html
My Art
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Biography
I grew up in the East Bay, and currently live in Pinole, CA. I have always enjoyed being out in nature, and since childhood, have enjoyed drawing animals and plants.
I developed a keen interest in biological illustration and macro photography, which began my fascination with natural patterns and textures, important to identification of various species. I was especially attracted to reptiles and fish, which have endless varieties of scale textures. After many years of semi-successful attempts to accurately draw scales on fish and reptiles, I found relief with a nature printing technique called Gyotaku.
In 2008, I attended a week long workshop offered by the Nature Printing Society, where I met kindred spirits in pursuit of prints of natural objects (plants, insects, and fish) on paper, fabric, and clay. I was immediately attracted to gyotaku, or Japanese fish (gyo) printing (taku), in which the fish provides the details of scale, texture and essence of fish, and the printer provides the technique. I have since taken fish printing lessons at NPS workshops in Oregon, Colorado, Washington state, and North Carolina, with master printers Chris Dewees, Mineo Yamamoto, Heather Fortner, and Ken Dara. In 2012 and 2013 I visited Japan to study indirect printing under master printer Mineo Ryuka Yamamoto. In 2015, I was honored to receive the status of Master Printer from sensei Yamamoto.
There are two methods of gyotaku, direct and indirect. In the direct method, ink is applied directly to the fish, and paper or fabric is applied to the fish, which is rubbed to create a mirror image.
I specialize in the indirect method, where paper or fabric is attached to a fish, and layers of ink colors are applied to the fabric. The inks catch the texture of the scales and spines of the fish. It is the job of the artist to manage the colors of the print. When correctly applied, the inks never touch the fish.
Fish make ideal subjects for printing. Most are bi-laterally flattened, they have a variety of scale textures, and diversity of colors, patterns, shapes and sizes. I get most of my subjects from local fish markets, or donations from my fisherman friends.
I developed a keen interest in biological illustration and macro photography, which began my fascination with natural patterns and textures, important to identification of various species. I was especially attracted to reptiles and fish, which have endless varieties of scale textures. After many years of semi-successful attempts to accurately draw scales on fish and reptiles, I found relief with a nature printing technique called Gyotaku.
In 2008, I attended a week long workshop offered by the Nature Printing Society, where I met kindred spirits in pursuit of prints of natural objects (plants, insects, and fish) on paper, fabric, and clay. I was immediately attracted to gyotaku, or Japanese fish (gyo) printing (taku), in which the fish provides the details of scale, texture and essence of fish, and the printer provides the technique. I have since taken fish printing lessons at NPS workshops in Oregon, Colorado, Washington state, and North Carolina, with master printers Chris Dewees, Mineo Yamamoto, Heather Fortner, and Ken Dara. In 2012 and 2013 I visited Japan to study indirect printing under master printer Mineo Ryuka Yamamoto. In 2015, I was honored to receive the status of Master Printer from sensei Yamamoto.
There are two methods of gyotaku, direct and indirect. In the direct method, ink is applied directly to the fish, and paper or fabric is applied to the fish, which is rubbed to create a mirror image.
I specialize in the indirect method, where paper or fabric is attached to a fish, and layers of ink colors are applied to the fabric. The inks catch the texture of the scales and spines of the fish. It is the job of the artist to manage the colors of the print. When correctly applied, the inks never touch the fish.
Fish make ideal subjects for printing. Most are bi-laterally flattened, they have a variety of scale textures, and diversity of colors, patterns, shapes and sizes. I get most of my subjects from local fish markets, or donations from my fisherman friends.