Jason Harman caught up with artist, Gary Longley, to talk about the 'art' of fishing...

1) Can you give us a bit of your background? How did you get into creating Fish Art?

“I was born and bred in Tauranga, New Zealand. My wife Paulene and I have four children. I was a Quantity Surveyor for almost 30 years, until nine years ago when I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that forced me to give up work (it was great to get out of the building industry, it just wasn’t the way I planned it). 

During this time I decided to pick up a pencil and start scribbling, which I used to do but hadn’t done for years. A side effect of the disease was that I had developed ‘the shakes’, which was interesting when drawing but turned out to be quite handy with certain techniques and details. 

I’ve always been a keen fisho, diver, and amateur photographer and have spent lots of time on the water – because I couldn’t fish as much as I used to, I started to draw fish instead. That’s how Fish Art was born!”

2) What’s your favourite method of fishing?

“I love casting lures on light tackle and straylining for snapper. I’m also always partial to a bit of livebaiting for kingfish.”

3) How would you describe your style, and what other artists have influenced you?

“When I first started out, I got into a ‘what will people want’ way of thinking, which is not a good idea when it comes to art – it’s so subjective. So I ended up just drawing what I enjoy. I mainly draw individual fish (plus the occasional whale, dolphin, bird or deer), but I also create marine chart backgrounds and then overlay fish and/or clients’ boats.

Lots of people don’t have the wall space for larger pieces, so most of my work is done on A2-sized paper; however, I can also print other sizes to suit the customer (I recently completed a life-sized commission of a 25kg kingfish!).

I’ve always liked the anatomical correctness yet simplicity of Guy Harvey’s work, but following hyperrealist artists helps me work on my patience, too. I aim for a steady balance between the two, so I’m still pushing my boundaries but not committing huge amounts of time and keeping it accessible to everyone cost-wise.”

4) What’s your favourite medium?

“I mainly use graphite pencils, with the occasional ‘Aquarelle’ (a range of intense, brightly-coloured, water-soluble pencils) for dark areas like the pupils, inside of mouths, and other dark areas – it gives contrast and helps make things ‘pop’. I have also played with gold leaf and highlighting the eyes with coloured pencils. Various paper textures will give different effects too.”

5) Can you describe the process you go through when creating a piece?

“If I haven’t got any of my own reference photos for a particular species, I look for images or even video footage that I can use to capture a still shot. It is very uncommon for a single photo to capture all the details of every part of the fish I need – the eyes, fins, lighting, contrast, and composition – so, over the years, I have collected thousands of images of different species from various angles. Due to copyright laws, I don’t directly use any one image but more ‘cut and paste’ different parts of their anatomy and draw upon these to piece it all together.”

6) How do you know when a piece is ‘done’?

“After looking at the same thing for hours on end, sometimes you think you’re getting close when you’re actually not and still have quite a bit to do. When I think I’m done, I’ll revisit it over the next couple of days to touch up anything with a fresh set of eyes.”

7) When you’re on the water and you catch a fish, do you ever look at it and think of making artwork, or vice versa?

“Absolutely. My father was an underwater photographer, so I learnt from him how to look at things differently and capture the character of a real-life subject. It’s interesting that even when you look at a fish you’ve seen a thousand times before, you can still pick up on new details that refresh your knowledge of its anatomy.”

8) What’s your favourite species to draw, and why?

“Anything without scales! Unfortunately, most fish have them. Generally, the smaller the fish, the more details there are, so larger species can be more enjoyable. I enjoy capturing the shine of tuna and their general bullet shape and the way they’re built with retractable fins (which has fascinated me since I was a kid). And they’re great fun to catch!

I also look for subjects that aren’t common in art.”

9) Do you see any similarities between fishing and art? Do they scratch the same itch for you?

“They’re easier to catch than to draw! My tagline is ‘The Art of Fishing’. They are both skills that require preparation and patience – and shortcuts will only cause pain.”

10) What new pieces are you planning to create?

“I won’t live long enough to do everything on my list. I started doing the more obvious and popular species to create some bread-and-butter income. I plan on doing some of the less common ones, but then any fish can be drawn in an endless number of variations, so I may go back to some and try a different version. Throw in some commissions and other projects, and it can get a bit overwhelming!

My wife, Paulene, of @flossiphy.art is a surface pattern designer and does all my digitising and photoshopping. So we’ve utilised her skills and diversified into designing shirts and other apparel using my images – we’ve got a nice collection starting to happen.

I have had Bonze Fleet put some of my art into their popular trolling lures heads for a custom lure range, and I also have a few designs underway for boat wraps, among other things on the go.

But as my mind drifts off thinking of ‘cool stuff’ I could do with my art, I should really focus on getting this next piece finished!”

May 2023 - Jason Harman
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
Copyright: NZ Fishing Media Ltd.
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