Digital print of original gyotaku fish rubbing with watercolor, 9 1/4" x 9 1/4" framed

Stephanie Mason graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in textile design. She currently lives and works in Gloucester, Massachusetts. 

Fish prints or 'Gyotaku' is the ancient Japanese folk art of painting actual or real fish to preserve a true record of the size of the species. The process starts by painting dead fish, placing rice paper on the fish and gently rubbing to produce an impression. These relief prints or rubbings are hand colored to produce a unique and beautiful art form. Most of the fish I use are caught off the coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.