Artist37: James Prosek

Naturalist and artist James Prosek spends his career trying to understand and protect the various plants and animals with which we live. He meticulously observes and records the various specifies of flora and fauna he sees, recreating them in his work.

The trout seems to be a creature of particular fixation for Prosek. His first book, Trout: An Illustrated History, shows his attention to detail and close examination of the fish and its place in the environment. He's also a founding member of the World Trout, which he created with Patagonia's Yvon Chouinard. He stays true to the anatomy of the fish, but keeps design in mind as well.  In the trout image above, the lines flow out of the fish, following the contours established by its body. Prosek is abstracting the form and 'design' of the fish and reflecting these aesthetic and functional qualities in his art.

The works of his that particularly catch my attention are his hybrid pieces. He takes different anatomical structures from different animals and combines them, playing with the similarities between the different parts of different animals. Doing so, helps puts the differences between species in perspective and lead to better understanding of their function in the environment.

The ability to find similarities between different things (animals, plants, concepts, people, etc) seem to lead to consistently interesting ideas. I'll be working to incorporate this into my art.