Michael Reimer Gyotaku

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About the Artist

So I'm at work on a Saturday, waiting to do my part of a system upgrade, when I type 'Fish Print' into Google.  I was looking to buy fish art for my office.  I ran across a web site for Gyotaku and take an immediate interest in the subject.  I spend the next few months researching everything I can about gyotaku, practicing in my mind how I'm going to make my own fish prints.  I even bought a few through the internet.

It finally gets warm enough the following March to catch a few bluegill in a local pond.  Armed with red acrylic paint, news print and my then 8 year old daughter as my assistant, we make some prints which look like fish shaped blobs of ink.  Not discouraged, I practice and practice until I feel comfortable enough to use rice paper, rather than news print and block printing ink, rather than acrylic paint.

Fast forward several month to the point where I liked them enough to start framing them and hanging them in my office.  Friends of my wife ask if they can buy some as gifts for their husbands and I think hmm......

The following fall, I signed up for my first art show.  Since then, I've joined the Nature Printing Society http://www.natureprintingsociety.info/ , the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen http://www.pennsylvaniacrafts.com/ and the Greater Norristown Art League http://www.gnal.org/. 

In February of 2008, I became a juried member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen.  Juried status in the PGC is an honor awarded to work deemed to show excellence in craftsmanship, resolved design and unique voice or style.  I am honored to be a juried member.

All of my art work is hanging up in my office between shows.  The only prints that I mat and/or frame are one's that I'd keep as my own if I never sold another.  Since I catch the fish (or in some cases, was with a friend who caught a fish), I have a connection to each print.  I do most of my fishing in Montgomery County, Chester County and Berks County PA.

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Michael Reimer


Fishing Album
Image: 
2010 Fishing Log
January 1 - Valley Creek, 8 Brown Trout
January 24 - Pickering Creek, nothing
January 24 - Valley Creek, 4 Brown Trout
February 4 - Susquehanna River, Striped Bass, Flathead Catfish, Channel Catfish 
February 21 - Hay Creek, 7 Brown Trout, 1 sucker

2009 Fishing Log
January 18 - Valley Creek, 7 Brown Trout
February 1 - Valley Creek, 6 Brown Trout
February 7 - Marsh Creek Lake (Ice Fishing) - 4 Black Crappie, 1 Yellow Perch
March 6 - Tarkill Creek, 5 Brook Trout
March 6 - Pecks Pond (Ice Fishing), 1 Chain Pickerel
March 7 - Tarkill Creek - 4 Brook Trout
April 3 - Local Pond - 1 Largemouth Bass
April 10  - Delaware River - 2 Channel Catfish, 5 Striped Bass
April 10 - Local Pond - 3 Largemouth Bass
April 11  - Local Pond - 7 Largemouth Bass
April 17 - Delaware River - 2 Channel Catfish, 12 Striped Bass
April 24 - Delaware River - 4 Channel Catfish, 10 Striped Bass
May12  - Local Pond - 8 Largemouth Bass
May 30 - Mingo Creek - 1 Smallmouth Bass, 2 Red Breast Sunfish, a few Green Sunfish and 20+ Pumpkinseed Sunfish
May 31 - Pickering Creek - 10 Brown Trout, 3 Smallmouth Bass, 1 Sucker, 1 Pumpkinseed Sunfish
June 5 - Nescopeck Creek - 4 Brook Trout, 7 Brown Trout, 1 Sucker
June 10 - Kettle Creek - 2 Rainbow Trout, 7 Brown Trout, 8 Brook Trout
June 11 - Hammersley Fork - 2 Brook Trout
June 11 - Cross Fork - 1 Brown Trout, 10 Brook Trout
June 11 - Germania Branch - 2 Brown Trout, 10 Brook Trout
June 12 - Sinnemahoning Creek, First Fork - 1 Rainbow Trout, 2 Brown Trout, 1 Smallmouth Bass
June 12 - Sinnemahoning Creek, East Fork - 1 Rainbow Trout, 2 Brown Trout
June 21 - French Creek - 1 Rainbow Trout, 2 Brown Trout
June 26 - Perkiomen Creek - 2 Pumpkinseed Sunfish, 1 Smallmouth Bass, 1 Rock Bass
July 17 - Hay Creek - 2 Brown Trout, 2 Rock Bass, 1 Sunfish, 1 Fall fish
July 26-31 - Atlantic Ocean, Outer Banks, North Carolina - numerous spot and croaker
August 8 - Delaware River - 2 White Perch, 5 Black Crappie, 4 Smallmouth Bass, 3 Bluegill, 2 Red Breasted Sunfish
August 9 - Perkiomen Creek - 1 Smallmouth Bass
August 26 - Local Pond - 4 Largemouth Bass
August 28 - Local Pond - 5 Largemouth Bass
August 28 - Valley Creek - 10 Brown Trout
September 7 - Tulpehocken Creek - 4 Brown Trout, 3 Rainbow Trout, 1 Smallmouth Bass
September 15 - Local Pond - 3 Largemouth Bass
October 24 - Valley Creek - 8 Brown Trout
November 21 - Pickering Creek - 3 Brown Trout
November 27 - Sixpenny Creek - Brook Trout
November 27 - Hay Creek - 2 Brown Trout, 1 Rainbow Trout 
November 29 - Hay Creek - 1 Rainbow Trout, 10+ Brown Trout
December 27 - Valley Creek - 1 Brown Trout

2008 Fishing Log
January 3 - Schuylkill River - nothing
January 5 - Pickering Creek, 1 Brown Trout, 1 Rainbow Trout
January 6 - Valley Creek, 3 Brown Trout
January 11 - Valley Creek, 15+ Brown Trout, 1 sucker
February 3 - Valley Creek, 3 Brown Trout
February 19 - Valley Creek, 5 Brown Trout
February 22 - Tarkill Creek, 3 native Brook Trout
February 23 - Ice Fishing on Peck's Pond, nothing
February 23 - Tarkill Creek, 3 native Brook Trout
April 4 - French Creek, 4 Brown Trout, 3 Rainbow Trout
April 12 - Unnamed pond, Chester County, 8 Bluegill, 2 Largemouth Bass
April 13 - Hay Creek, 8 Brown Trout
April 18 - Perkiomen Creek - nothing
April 18 - Local pond - 5 bluegill, 2 largemouth
April 23 - Delaware River - 6 Striped Bass, 6 Channel Catfish, 2 White Perch
May 2 - Tulpehocken Creek - 2 rainbow trout, 1 brown trout
May 21 - Sixmile Run - 1 Brook, a few rainbows, numerous browns
May 21 - Black Moshannon Creek - a few browns, numerous brooks
May 22 - Moshannon Creek - mix of rainbow, browns, stocked and native brooks
May 22 - West Branch Clarion River - 1 brown, 1 rainbow
May 23 - Medix Run - 1 brown, 4 native brooks
May 23 - Red Run - numerous native brook trout
May 23 - Mix Run - 2 native brooks, 1 brown
May 24 - Bald Eagle Creek- brown trout, 7 rainbow trout, 1 smallmouth
May 31 - Bear Creek - 2 brook trout, 7 rainbow trout, 3 smallmouth, 2 sunfish and way too many chubs
June 2 - Susquehanna River - 1 smallmouth, 2 channel catfish, 2 walleye
July 20 - Perkiomen Creek - 1 smallmouth, 2 rock bass, 1 sunfish
July 27 - Local Pond - 5 Bluegill, 2 largemouth
July 27 - Pickering Creek - 1 brown trout, 1 sucker, 3 sunfish, 2 smallmouth
August 8 - Perkiomen Creek - Numerous smallmouth, sunfish and rock bass
August 9 - Lehigh River - 5 rainbow trout, 1 brown trout, numerous smallmouth
August 9 - Black Creek - 3 brown trout, 5 brook trout
September 6 - Perkiomen Creek - Numerous smallmouth, sunfish and rock bass
September 21 - Local Pond - 1 Bluegill, 3 largemouth
October 5 - Local Pond - 4 largemouth
October 5 - Schuylkill River - 10 smallmouth, 1 largemouth
November 29 - Susquehanna River - Nothing
November 30 - Pohocopo Creek - 1 Brook Trout, 1 Rainbow Trout, 5 Brown Trout
December 28 - Tulpehocken Creek - Nothing
December 28 - Manatawny Creek - 4 Brown Trout

2007 Fishing Log
January 6 - Tulpehocken Creek, 1 Brown Trout
January 21 - Valley Creek, 8 Brown Trout
February 17 - Hay Creek, nothing
February 23 - Tarkill Creek, 2 native Brook Trout
February 24 - Ice Fishing on Peck's Pond, nothing
March 31 - Schuylkill River below Fairmount Dam - fished for shad, caught nothing
March 31 - French Creek, 1 Brown Trout, 2 Rainbow Trout
April 3 - Local Pond, 6 Bluegill
April 29 - Pickering Creek, Brook Trout
May 4 - Clark Creek, 6+ Brown Trout, 20+ Brook Trout
May 7 - Delaware River, 5 American Shad
May 23 - Delaware River, 2 Rainbow Trout, 1 Walleye
May 24 - Delaware River, 1 Rainbow Trout
May 24 - Starrucca Creek, 6 Brook Trout
May 24 - Lackawanna River, 10 Rainbow Trout, 2 Brook Trout
May 25 - ? Creek, 2 Rainbow Trout
May 25 - Harvey's Creek, 2 Brown Trout, Numerous Rainbow Trout and Brook Trout
May 26 - Nescopeck Creek, 1 Brown Trout, 12+ Brook Trout
May 28 - Manatawny Creek, 1 Brown Trout, 1 Rainbow Trout, 3 Rock Bass, 2 Smallmouth Bass
June 6 - Creek, 6 Rainbow Trout, 1 Tiger Trout, 7 Rock Bass, 1 Sunfish
June 22 - Pickering Creek, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, 3 Bluegill
July 1 - Mingo Creek, 15 or so Rock Bass, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed Sunfish and Red Breasted Sunfish
July 20 - Marsh Creek Lake, 1 Largemouth Bass, numerous Black Crappie and Bluegil
August 10 - Pickering Creek - 1 Smallmouth Bass, 2 Red Breasted Sunfish
August 10 - Perkiomen Creek - Numerous Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Sunfish
August 11 - Perkiomen Creek - Numerous Smallmouth Bass, Sunfish
August 12 - Perkiomen Creek - Numerous Smallmouth Bass
August 16 - Perkiomen Creek - 8 Smallmouth Bass
August 23 - Tulpehocken Creek - 4 Smallmouth Bass, 4 Rainbow Trout, 1 Brown Trout, 1 Rock Bass
August 31 - Perkiomen Creek - 1 Smallmouth Bass
September 1 - Greenlane Reservior - Numerous Bluegill, Sunfish and Largemouth Bass
September 1 - Perkiomen Creek - 1 Smallmouth Bass
September 3 - Tulpehocken Creek - 5 Smallmouth Bass, 5 Rainbow Trout, 1 Brown Trout, numerous Rock Bass and Sunfish
September 7 - Perkiomen Creek - 3 Smallmouth Bass
November 7 - Schuylkill River - 2 Smallmouth Bass
November 11 - Schuylkill River - 1 Smallmouth Bass
November 15 - Marsh Creek - Yellow Perch
November 25 - Manatawny Creek, 10 Brown Trout
December 2 - Blue Marsh spillway - nothing
December 7 - Schuylkill River - nothing
December 9 - Schuylkill Rilver - nothing
December 20, 27, 28 - Schuylkill River - nothing
December 29 - Valley Creek - 20+ brown trout