Sturgeon as art

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I had some decals made of the bad-boy sturgy. (They’re now all gone and I have no more.) Here’s one on my pickup – I had smaller ones I put on my North River boat (now sold):

Here’s a close-up of the decal:

Here’s the bad-boy sturgeon that inspired the decals:

This radical bad-boy appears elsewhere on my site, and is a grand example of sturgeon as art!

This drawing is hardly abstract, but the background adds a nice touch.

Another nice sturgeon drawing except for the lack of detail. In real life,
those scutes are really sharp on the younger sturgies.

This drawing is not my first choice, but has a rather nice background.

Trying to enlarge this drawing just blurred it, but here it is for what it’s worth.

Sturgeon Fever!

Here’s a nice sturgeon image from Sturgeon Slayers somewhere in the NorthWest. I added the logo and this would make for a real eye-catching decal.

I found this sturgeon photo (maybe Photo-shopped?) online in May of 2011. It’s just real cool looking with the shadowing at the bottom and what appears to be back-lit fins. 

My old high school buddy, Al, is a retired art teacher. He holds a masters degree in art, and is quite accomplished. He creates and sells carved pieces as a part-time retirement business and does quite well at it. A few years ago I asked him to carve something very special for me. I wanted my boat, my beloved C-Dory which I have since sold, with a larger than life sturgeon. In return for his fine work, I would spring for a lake fishing trip for a few days. He agreed.

Here are four photos of the piece, showing the larger-than-life sturgeon. Well, that’s what sturgeon feel like! This work reflects artistic license, I suppose! The C-Dory is shown in great detail, even showing me in the cockpit, fighting the monster:

The base is burl-wood, I believe; the water is plastic and the boat and sturgeon are carved wood.

Here is a closeup of the C-Dory. Note the bow rail and even the CF numbers. That is a quarter lying next to the boat for scale.

Al mainly carves fish, as mentioned above. This trout is an example of his work. He gave me the trout for my 60th birthday. (I’ve had it a long time!)

Here is the carving on the wall (top left) showing my rod rack and other photos for a sense of scale:

Here is a salmon Al carved in 2016 from a photo of a catch on the California Delta years ago. I commissioned this big boy and had to twist his arm a bit to get him to carve it for me. It included the drawing of me (above) also taken from the fish photo. This is one of Al’s best.This is the photo, taken in 2012, of the salmon that was used as the model for the carving above. That handsome face was the model for the portrait. Many folks think that’s Tom Selleck, but I always assure them that it’s just me. Al carved the salmon to 5/6 scale.

I had to twist Al’s arm to purchase this excellent carving of a pheasant about a year before I commissioned the salmon. The detail on this piece is just stunning. The base is from a lamp over 100 years old.

A chickadee carved by Al. Even the cup is carved from wood. This was a very appreciated gift from Al in 2016. 

Al at work in his shop as he worked on my big salmon. Having a friend like ol’ Al is a good thing! I wouldn’t part with his work for any price.

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April 26, 2017

It occurred to me to post a photo of my collection of art, mostly Al’s work, to my site. If you click on this photo it will enlarge; if you click a second time, it will he huge. And… here it is:

From left:
A small, ceramic bird Al gave me years ago
The splendid pheasant by Al and its award from an art show
A small metal motorcycle I bought somewhere
My prized salmon carved by Al as told above
In front of the salmon sits a small model of a Walker Mower which we distributed back in our business days.
A little chickadee on a cup (also wood) Al carved and gave me
My long cherished sturgeon and C-Dory carving from Al
Boxing gloves signed by Muhammad Ali, a gift from my wife
A wood portrait that accompanied the salmon carving, created by Al. 

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