Josh Udesen of Boise wears his art on his sleeve. Actually, he wears it on the back of a Patagonia T-shirt that features his fish paintings, but a pun is hard to resist.

The 40-year-old school teacher at Riverstone International School is a fly fisherman, former fishing guide and artist who turns his fishing passion into art.

It starts with an inspiration from a fishing trip to a nearby stream or distant river and evolves in his garage/studio, and from there it could land anywhere from an art show to a living room wall, to a fly box to someone’s back.

His work can be seen at tightlinestudio.com.

Q: Why fly fishing and art? Seems like a pretty narrow and strangely crowded field.

A: Why fly fishing? It is in my blood. I love to do a lot of things, ski, raft, kayak, mountain bike and chukar hunt. If it is outdoors, I probably do it, but fly fishing is not something I just do, it is my passion.

I fly fished at first because I did not really have a choice. My dad simply told me I was headed out with him at 4 a.m. to find steelhead, trout, bass, etc.

Eventually it clicked and his passion transferred to me. At 16, I was lucky enough to land my first job at a fly-fishing shop, and I was surrounded by a bunch of great fishing mentors.

Every summer, most of the crew at the shop headed to Alaska to guide. By the time I was 21, I was guiding in Southwest Alaska, where I worked with Bob White. He is one of the most renowned fly fishing and sporting artist anywhere, and I saw how he combined art and his passion for flyfishing. It was a great inspiration.

I agree about the field of artist in the fly fishing realm being narrow, focused, and definitely crowded.

To be honest I am still sort of shocked I am even recognized in the same field as some well-established and amazingly talented artists.

Q: What provided the spark to turn a hobby into a sideline profession?

A: I maintained my art by occasionally drawing and even less frequently painting, but after walking through a summer art show in 2006 I thought to myself – “I could do this.”

I found my art supplies from my undergrad art classes, and on a whim, I painted a trout.

That winter I got serious and the following spring, I was accepted into some very reputable summer shows. Bob White also did a little promotion on his web page about my art.

I can’t say I consciously approached the idea of being a fly fishing artist because that would be daunting.

Breaking into the field was really a matter of lucky circumstances, and I was fortunate to jump into the field just as fly fishing really became more popular.

Q: What’s your biggest commercial and proudest artistic accomplishments?

A: The opportunity to work with Patagonia was a clear milestone for me. I’ve always paged through the Patagonia catalogs with a great deal of envy for the people fishing, climbing, skiing and writing about their adventures.

The fact they have a focus on trout and sport fish with their World Trout grant program (which gives grants for stream and habitat restoration), and that my art was associated with such a program was also a great thing to be connected with.

I was unbelievably new to the artistic world when they chose my work. I was surprised, and it was an honor to be asked to do six commissions for Patagonia.

The first time I saw a total stranger wearing a shirt with my painting on it, I had to laugh. Little did he know he made my day.

Q: Does art change the way you fish? Are you thinking about your next drawing or painting the whole time you’re out there?

A: I love to be out there looking for fish, thus fishing really influences my painting and drawing more than art influencing my fishing.

But I think my fishing buddies would say something different.

I always carry a camera, and as soon as someone has a fish on I am there to take photos. Every painting I do is inspired by one of my photos, friend’s photos or a photo someone sends me, so I definitely drop the rod and run when someone lands a nice fish.

I also really like to paint and draw fish from specific areas, so I am inspired to go find fish I want to paint and draw. I specifically seek out interesting area-specific species like the high-desert redband rainbows from Southeast Oregon, Yellowstone cutthroat, Deschutes River and Salmon River steelhead, high mountain brookies, and any other specific fish I can relate to a particular area.

So in that way, the art is dictating my fishing, but maybe it is just an excuse to get me on the river.

Q: What’s your favorite fish to go after, your favorite place, and your favorite artistic subject?

A: I’ve defended this answer on many occasions to my friends who are steelhead fishing fanatics.

I am a trout bum. I love steelhead, but day in and day out, I go back to rainbow trout. Although they are always a challenge, I feel comfortable fishing for them, and I love trying to figure out the puzzle of what they are feeding on.

A far as a favorite place, there is a small tributary of the Nushagak River in Southwest Alaska that I guided on for several years. I basically spent six to eight weeks on my own on the river with clients being flown out to me on a daily basis.

After the clients left for the day I got to fish miles and miles of what was essentially my personal river. People paid thousands of dollars to be guided on it, and I got it as my private water.

My favorite subject is detailed studies of fish with a focus on color. I like taking artistic license with color while maintaining realism in terms of size and dimensions.

One of the most interesting fish to paint is a tarpon. Initially they seem like they are shades of gray, but ultimately, they are more colorful than most trout. The iridescence make them almost like an optical illusion; one second they are purple, the next they are green. That is a lot of fun to capture.

Q: Which would take if given a choice between an original of your favorite artist, or landing the fish of your dreams? What exactly would it be?

A: Art is great, but the memory of a fish is even better.

I paint people’s fish, and the moment they catch a fish, they’ve produced an amazing memory.

Anyone who fishes can instantaneously go back to the moment he hooked and landed a memorable fish.

I like to think my painting is a way to help them remember that moment in time.

So I would choose catching a big fish over art.

Although a skated fly to a 20-plus-pound British Columbia steelhead would be amazing, I think a sight-fished monster tarpon would have to be the single fish I would give up an original painting for.

I stopped typing for a moment as I imagined a huge tarpon turning on my fly. Yep, I’d take that over a painting.

Roger Phillips: 373-6615

Catch a fish, draw, paint, repeat