CLALLAM BAY — Upon a successful fishing trip, most would fire up the grill. Not Paul Blake.
Blake has other plans for his catch, and they involve ink and silk rather than oil and bread crumbs.
Blake, who has lived in Sekiu since retiring from the Port Angeles School District, creates prints from fish using the Japanese technique called “gyotaku.”
Blake will demonstrate his craft at the Clallam Bay Library, 16990 Highway 112, every Friday from 3 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. today until Aug. 25.
Blake adheres silk to the fish and then applies ink across the silk in layers, capturing every scale. Rather than using a brush as a painter would, he employs a tool called a tampo. The tampo, made of silk wrapped around cotton, mixes the ink color and applies it atop the silk to create depth of field.
Adding color washes and seaweed prints builds more complexity, he said.
The library welcomes visitors of all ages to watch the demonstration and ask questions about the art of gyotaku.
For more information, call 360-963-2414 or email ClallamBay@nols.org.
