Fd: How did Art and Fly Fishing get together in your life? How were your beginnings in these two different fields?
NL: Art has always been something I’ve done. As a kid, I’d go to the library and walk out with an arm full of scientific reference books of birds and animals. I taught myself how to draw by tracing. Eventually I learned the anatomy and shapes of animals. I never started drawing fish until I got into fly fishing about 7 years ago. I had been fishing all my life but it wasn’t until I started fly fishing that the passion for fishing re-ignited. I had gotten bored of fishing and needed something new, and the next step was fly fishing. I started drawing trout and absolutely loved the colours and how every individual fish was so different from the next!
Fd: What kind of techniques do you apply? How is your process?
NL: My style has evolved a lot over the past couple years. I originally started off by doing more scientific style illustrations of trout, the typical 2D flat pose. I then progressed into doing a few fine art pieces depicting fish in action poses. I discovered I enjoyed this style more and it made me think about fish I had caught in my past fishing experiences. This style of capturing action poses has stuck with me and is something I work hard at to accomplish. I also have become known for my fish skeleton renditions. These are non-scientifically accurate skeletons and skulls have been featured on fishing apparel in North America and Australia.
Fd: Is there a particular message or feeling you want to convey through your works?
NL: I just like to capture snapshots in time and fish in natural poses. I like to create an attitude to my subject. I study underwater footage of fish to see how they move and then relay that onto paper.
Fd: Any time for fly fishing? What are your favorite species and spots?
NL: Time for fishing has become less and less but I do make an effort to schedule time to get out. I enjoy fishing for all species of fish, particularly fish that fight and are aggressive. But if I had to choose it’d be Brown Trout. They’re attitude, weariness, and amazing diversity of colour of spot patterning truly is amazing. Each one is like a masterpiece in itself.
Fd: What advice would you give to the starting artists that want to get into the fly-fishing world?
NL: My advice to starting artists is brand yourself. As an artist, you are your brand and finding your unique style will set you apart. Be genuine and integral, the fly fishing community is a tight-knit community and if you treat people right your popularity will spread like wildfire. Also, think outside the box. Galleries are great but there are a million and one uses for your art out there… Explore them! And lastly, work on designing your signature “autograph”. It took me 7 hours of writing my name on paper before I found the right one that I liked. Your signature should be put on everything that you post. This gets people used to seeing it and eventually just your signature alone will let people know that that is yours.
For more of Nick’s great work, please visit www.nicklaferriere.com (also on Instagram as @laferrieren and Facebook).
