Description

For the past two years making fish skin leather has become a primary focus for me; I am compelled by the sustainability of engaging with a natural resource, using it to its fullest. My immersion in fish leather processing has opened a new sense of collaborating with the land, rather than simply harvesting from it. Repurposing fish skins (a vastly discarded resource) as leather, creates lasting beauty where there is otherwise waste.  Each fish skin boasts an intricate, beautiful pattern – preserved through the act of tanning.

As I push my work more towards the sculptural, the story behind the materials is a crucial element.  The choice to use fish leather becomes an entry point for dialogue, meant to provoke curiosity about its origin, emphasizing the value of fish as a sustainable resource.  Transforming fish skins into sculptural books signifies both the value of these beautiful creatures and in the gesture of a functional form – its’ unfinished story.

An avid fisher person, I catch all the fish that I use in my work.  These particular Walleye were caught on Lake Winnipeg where I fish often, in all seasons.  I have tanned them using oak gall nut; the warm brown tone highlights the walleye’s beautiful scale patterns and lateral lines.  The pages are sewn with linen thread directly to the fish using a modified long stitch binding method.

The flexible spine allows it to be displayed in a variety of positions.  Fishing line has been used in places to accentuate the ‘shape’ where necessary.

Fish sizes:

14″ long (fully extended) x 3.75″ high (at highest point) x 2.25″ wide (at widest point)

14″ long (fully extended) x 3.25″ high (at highest point) x 2″ wide (at widest point)

11″ long (fully extended) x 2.5″ high (at highest point) x 1.5″ wide(at widest point)