My name is Richie Gudzan. I am a Southern creator and conservationist, born and raised in the woods, creeks and coastlines of Georgia, South Carolina, and now Alabama. Water holds a particular magnetism for me, and my experiences fishing, surfing, and paddling shape the soul of my artwork. I use big brushes, striking composition and stark contrast to evoke power, subtlety, and flow in my paintings. Fish are some of my favorite subjects, and my recent work is rooted in an old Japanese printmaking technique called Gyotaku (ghee-oh-TAH-koo). I use the actual fish I catch to make art, covering them with non-toxic pigment and gently laying handmade natural-fiber paper on top to reveal a mirror image imprint. Once the prints are dry,...
New art just finished! 48" X 48" panel, double print of a Mahi Mahi I caught with friends off the Alabama gulf coast. Acrylic glazes over oil-based ink. This has been a crazy year so far, and it's only April! When things get hectic I tend to freak out a little bit, so this piece was a way of reminding myself to hold fast to beauty that's all around me, and to lighten up a little bit...
It's so awesome to finally be working with a gallery in my current hometown of Birmingham, AL. Opening event is set for Friday Dec. 16, so if you're in the area please stop by. I'd love to see you!
I am so stoked to partner with Anne Hunter Gallery in Seaside, FL (address is 25 Central Square). The 30A coast is where I do most of my fishing, surfing, and paddling these days, and Anne is the real deal - super supportive and instrumental in introducing me to the art scene there. I've got a collection of original works on display at the gallery now, and will be live and in person on September 15, 2016 for a meet & greet (and to sell work!). Please stop by if you're in the area; we'll have free Grayton Beer, music and a great vibe.
Sometimes these little freshwater fish are as much fun to paint as the big pelagics. As evidenced by this commission piece of a bluegill for a kiddo's first catch ever, they can certainly carry just as much weight. I started with a traditional gyotaku "fish rubbing", and finished in watercolor to really bring it back to life.
Big painting of a gulf Amberjack. Love catching these tackle-busting reef donkeys, and translating that power into art is an even bigger rush. Wanted to show the weight of this fish, but couple it with the air of effortless freedom they swim with. Light washes of acrylic color over the sepia-toned, life size gyotaku print I pulled from the actual fish. Panel is 60" X 48".
Man I love kingfish. Especially caught out of a kayak. This one's no smoker, but still at about 36" was a blast on light tackle. I painted this fish with a focus on being bold and vibrant - wanted the art to communicate the strength they fight with. This life-size gyotaku print was pulled on mulberry paper and finished in oil, then mounted to a hardwood panel. You'll see touches of color I added as the painting evolved, but I really wanted that original raw print to shine through. The script at top left reads "the king is dead. long live the king."
Just a cool shot of one of the many bonito caught out of my kayak these past couple weeks; off Navarre Beach, FL. One of my fave fishing spots - especially when this warm water's still holding on for a little while. Between these guys and the last few kingfish out there, you can still find a Florida sleigh ride if you know where to look (kayak fishermen know what I'm talking about).
New art featuring some Jack Crevalle (or Jack"s" Crevalle - not sure on the grammar there). Had some fun printing these little bastards. Actually, it's just one of these little bastards, replicated 9 times on two different panels. I was trying to catch a keeper snook after finishing an art exhibit in Naples, FL earlier in the year, and kept hooking into these tackle-busting jacks instead. They pull like a freight train pound for pound, but not so fun when you're on a mission for something else. Anyway, I'd never used one for a painting so figured the iridescent color would be a fun study. I also decided to eat this one after the initial monotone print was pulled just...
I'm loving using this Gyotaku ("fish rubbing") technique to paint the fish I catch. The old, raw look is really cool sometimes, leaving just a monotone black & white image, but lately I've been exploring some fully-involved color studies. For paintings here, I picked a spotted seatrout (or speckled trout, or "Speck" as they're better known on the panhandle) and redfish I caught over in West Bay / Panama City Beach to really try and replicate the natural, vibrant colors they exhibit when they're alive. Those specks have got such a cool, mirror-like sheen that reflects just about every color you can think of, and it's crazy work to try and translate that with dull, opaque paint. Still I gave it a...
So this is my latest piece; a new gyotaku ("fish rubbing") based painting of a sailfish caught just off Key Biscayne, FL. This is the first sailfish I've ever killed, but based on the health of the fish once we grabbed the leader, it wasn't going to make it if released. I'm not down with flippantly harvesting fish, so it seemed only fitting to honor this catch with a one-of-a-kind piece of art. I started the painting by printing various sections of the fish right after we got back to the dock, using an oil-based pigment. I cleaned all the slime off the fish, quickly brushed ink onto it, and laid various different sheets of paper on top to lift...
This was a fun project - a fish print ("gyotaku") based painting of a blue crab I caught in the FL panhandle. Ordinarily I'd start by inking and printing the whole fish (or crab), but since these critters are 3-D I had to get a little creative. First I removed all the legs, and printed just the shell; then individually inked, placed and printed each leg or pincer where it should anatomically go. Lots of trial and error I assure you, but the final piece turned out really cool. Once the initial stamp / print was dry, I used washes of watercolor and acrylic to complete the life-size painting.
So here’s the thing: Art has everything to do with water. If you’ve ever ridden a board, eddied out in a canoe, been entranced by tailing redfish, or felt a roll cast come peeling off your fly rod, you’ve felt the same soul-lighting rush that my art attempts to distill into two dimensions.Today someone asked me "why do you paint fish", and I guess before now I've never really tried to verbalize it. I paint fish (and other water-inspired works) the way I do because I want others to feel that same connectedness, purity, clarity, purpose, and perspective I feel when I'm on the water. I honestly can't explain what water makes me feel, so my only way to communicate it is to do...
One of the few fish in my portfolio I didn't personally catch, this was a commission piece for the big 'copper belly' gag grouper that won the 2014 Destin Fishing Rodeo women's division. Love the texture of this piece, and wanted to create something that felt as "snaggy" as the reefs these guys call home.
This wahoo was not a monster by any means, but no "weehoo" either. Caught off Murrell's Inlet, SC in July 2013, I used the actual fish to make this piece ("gyotaku" technique). I started by brushing ink directly onto the actual fish, then quickly laid handmade paper on top to transfer life-size stamps of various parts of the fish. After printing I cleaned and filleted the fish (Mmmmmmm.), and after the prints were dry a few weeks later I assembled them on a wood panel and created this painting on top of the print. Lots of work, but really digging this one.
Mahi, dolphin, dorado, whatever you choose to call them, are definitely some of my most favorite (and most often painted) subjects. And this piece will always be one of my favorite pieces of art, mostly just because of the memories. This is a single female Mahi Mahi, inked and printed three times on chiri paper before becoming some awesome ceviche. I caught this fish with my wife Mallory, just off the North Shore of O'ahu - and wanted to commemorate that trip with a statement painting full of good vibes (even though my 6-month pregnant wife spent most of that day seasick :<)... Finished in watercolor, the warm tones are bright and simple, but with a good flow across the 65" panel...
