My obsession with Brook Trout started at a young age. I was truly blown away by how beautiful Brook Trout are, especially when in full color. I loved the bright oranges, vibrant reds, yellow and almost purple spots with white rings, and the pattern along their backs that almost looks like a special camouflage pattern. They are truly a remarkable sight to behold and a blast to catch on the fly.
All fisherman dream of catching that once in a lifetime brook trout in the eighteen inch or better range. It's not why we fish, but does add that something special to the unknown of what you might catch. I was fortunate enough to have a father that also got very excited when you hooked into a big trout. He loved it when the dance was on to try and land them on a usually ultralight line or tippet in sometimes precarious spots on the river. I was lucky enough to catch a brook trout of abnormal size not realizing at the time just how big of a brook trout it really was. Any brook trout fisherman will tell you that the average is between 10 to 14 inches and anything over that is a dandy. We were fishing from float tubes in the Uinta mountains in Utah with sinking lines, stripping large leach patterns when I hooked and landed one of those giant brook trout we all dream about. I was fortunate to have my father by my side to help with landing it. It was a beautiful 20 inch brook trout that we quickly released.
I have been drawing and painting trout for longer then I can remember. I ran a small art business for a few years in which I would paint client's fish or make replicas to the size of their catch. I would paint them in watercolor which can be a tough medium to get just right. I started using acrylic paints years ago and wanted to do a painting that would evoke those same feelings by thinking about catching a big beautiful Brook Trout.
I started this painting by sketching out the Trout and the background to be painted.This is the most time consuming part of getting everything to fit right in the painting and how it will come together. I had been researching different water techniques to give the impression of water and ripples to make the painting life like.
Then the fun part in the painting process is laying out all the paints, brushes, etc…and to start painting. This can also be the most stressful part, worrying about getting the colors or depth right. I often found myself walking away and coming back fresh so as to not get frustrated. My favorite time on this painting was completing the vibrant red and orange belly and the beautiful spots. The final touches before calling it complete was countless hours of looking for any flaws or colors that might need to be adjusted to bring the painting tio life. I am very happy with Brook Trout Dreams and believe this would be a wonderful addition to any fisherman's home or cabin.
Tight lines and good luck fulfilling your brook trout dreams!
Limited Edition stretched Giclee Prints and paper prints available on our Etsy site
Patrick McLain Hamman
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