Simon Haycraft
'Porpoising Rainbow'

Born 1973, Warwickshire England. Grew up on the Avon and Stour rivers. Studied design at Leamington Spa and wildlife illustration at Camarthenshire College, West Wales. Pursued landscape painting and wildlife art for a while. Moved to the states 1999, Colorado. Started a family and started flyfishing. Set up business as a house painter, where by came up with staining/carving idea. Moved to Bend, Oregon 2005 to revive artistic aspirations and increase fishing accessibility.

Simon’s Process for Creating His Art:
I first look for a seasoned piece of hardwood with a lot of fluid movement in the grain. Subject to availability myrtle wood is my wood of choice. An extremely hard wood found in the Pacific Northwest, full of character yet very stable. The grain indicates the flow of water and this ultimately decides the composition of the piece.

I use traditional hand carving tools (curved chisels etc) for the majority of the carving and go in with a dremmel tool where needed. Care must be taken in carving the water's surface due to the very subtle, undulating movements indicative of water. By lighting the work from directly above I am able to see the form taking shape and correct any imperfections. Before coloring, the piece must be sanded down to a very fine grit along the grain to ensure a smooth tactile finish and to avoid cross grain issues.
When it comes to coloring, I use oil based woodstains such as Japan* which can be found in all colors including primary, so any variation can be mixed up and can be thinned to control the transparency. Using stain as opposed to paint allows the natural color and character of the wood to come through. A method I liken to that of a watercolor, disciplined with little room for error. The iridescence found on some pieces is achieved using a fine powder-like eye shadow, a little embarrassing when purchasing, but anything for my art right.

The finish is a high gloss, non-yellowing acyclic sealer/finish, sprayed on with multiple thin coats as not to drown the contours of the carving. The piece is mounted within a sheet of veneered plywood, stained and lacquered, providing a complimentary transition between the artwork and the frame.

I have always been fascinated with water and it inhabitants, so much so it has nearly cost me my life on a couple of occasions. I fell into two ponds as a child, staring into the depths mesmerized by this "other world". My love of fish and fishing started the day I cast my first line, inspired by my uncle, also an artist and in my opinion one of the most knowledgeable fishermen in England. Using a variety of course fishing techniques my brothers and I would go after the many species of fish found in British waters. Chub, tench, barbel, roach, pike just to name a few. It wasn't until I moved to the States that I became a keen flyfisherman, due to the inexpensive accessibility of first class trout habitat.

The idea to use wood to depict sport fish in their environment came to me whilst working on an 11000sq ft log home in Colorado. During the staining of what seemed like miles of knotty alder trim I noticed how the wood came alive and its natural movement reminded me of water. Perhaps it was the fumes or my longing to get out on the river but I could imagine a fish somehow locked into the wood, and from there the experimentation began.

As all fly fishermen know, reading the water is key to success. This rekindled my fascination with the wet stuff and has led to new insights, both fishing and art improving on each other.