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Fishy art: Jim Roszel

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Massechusets based artist and angler

By Martin Joergensen

Jim Roszel submitted his very nice painting of a chinook salmon to our user's pictures section, and I was immediately intrigued. I googled him and what I found was quite interesting, so contacted Jim through his email to get him on our fishy art project and he agreed.

I asked Jim the usual entry question: How did you start working with art and with fishing related art in particular?
He replied:
- I have been an artist and fisherman my entire life. I realized a few years ago after catching a giant striped bass that I wanted a way to remember the fish so I painted the fish life-size with all of the details of the catch. The colors and forms of fish and fishing gear have always caught my attention and so I cannot think of something that is more enjoyable to paint.
But as an artist, why choose fish and fishing as your subject?
Roszel answers:
- Fish and fishing have been in my blood ever since I can remember. Having close contact with the mysteries of the watery world is so exciting.



Jim paints his beautiful fish portraits in oils on canvas because he feels he can capture the fresh live colors of the fish with this medium. But he adds:
- I also like to work in watercolor sometimes, especially when painting lures, flies and some fish.

His own works are not the only painting related income he has. Jim explains:
- Painting is becoming more and more of my main income. I also am an art conservator. My experience in this field had enabled me to study art close up and understand what makes a painting last over time. It has done wonders for the craft side of my artwork.
Jim lives and works in Kingston Massachusetts about 30 minutes south of Boston. He tells:
- I fish mostly in saltwater these days. I grew up in Michigan and did lots of freshwater fishing. Trout and salmon are fish that I would love to fish more for."
You can see more of Jim's work on the studio's web site. The studio provides framed paintings, prints, cards and other things with his art.