Artist: Josh Udesen
Biography
Josh Udesen is an observant passerby of all things under an open sky. What he creates is simply a reflection of what he loves to do, how he sees the world and the places he spends time. His art encourages him to take time, stop and engage with the world around him. He hopes what he creates is both unique and personal because it combines a love of the natural world with an observational focus on detail, unique perspectives and color. His primary focus is depicting fish, particularly trout, steelhead and salmon.
Whether fishing or art came first, his affection and affliction for catching fish translated to an artistic focus on the color, movement and intricacy of the fish he found so fascinating. He is also drawn to the fact that fish always balance form and function. His art represents all the things you do not notice until you truly observe and come to the realization that even the minute can be a depiction of nature’s beauty.
When he is not painting, drawing or in the classroom teaching high school students you can likely find him casting a line, rowing a raft, skiing a glade, riding his bike, exploring the backcountry or teaching his daughter the benefit of sleeping under the stars.
Artist Statement
I am obsessed with rivers of the Pacific Northwest and the fish that live and swim in them. I've spent much of my adult life running rivers, fly fishing, guiding fly anglers and spending as much time as I can in areas where salmon and steelhead return. In three decades of connecting with these places I've slowly witnessed the threat and decline of salmon and steelhead populations and I dread the day I might have to tell my daughter about the salmon and steelhead that were once in these mighty rivers.
Pilgrimage
2020, acrylic painting on birch panel, 24" x 30"
Return
2021, acrylic painting on birch panel, 30" x 60
