George Hill - Capturing Trout on Canvas

Montana-resident, George Hill, has perfected the art of capturing the innate beauty of trout using brushes, oil colours, and different canvases and panels. He has also branched off into the saltwater realm, but as you will learn, George has a special connection with trout - a species that he has come to revere to the point that he mostly does elaborate portraiture paintings of them. You might also learn a thing or two about how he achieves the vivid shine and reflectiveness in his works - one of the key features that sets his work apart from a lot of his fellow artists in the fly fishing community.

Bio// Full Name: George Hill Born: Michigan Home Turf: Montana Occupation: Artist Website: www.georgehillart.com Social Media: @georgehillart

How did you get started fly fishing and why?

I grew up on the waters of Michigan. My father instilled in me a deep love for the water from a young age, though he had little patience for fishing. My curiosity for what swam beneath those watery surfaces developed from within.

As a kid, my first forays into flyfishing were through camping trips on Michigan’s Pere Marquette and Manistee River’s with friends. I had a borrowed rod, rubber waders, and one of those little white foam fly boxes Orvis used to make. It wasn’t until college however, that I really become enamored with the sport. One day my buddy came home with a brand new Orvis outfit. I figured that was as good of time as any to take the plunge. I headed straight to the local bait shop and managed to unearth a dusty $30 Martin Reel Co. click and pawl and spooled it with a green double taper Cortland. The rest was history as they say…

I learned to nymph, and about the importance of a good dead drift from my brother in law because… that’s what we do in Michigan; we nymph. After college I dedicated most of my twenties to chasing big fish from Alaska to Patagonia. Patagonia is where I learned to streamer fish. I now reside in the great American West, where I have become a student of dry fly fishing. And I reckon I will be a student up until my final days on the water.

Being an artist what is it about fly fishing and fish in general that intrigues you?

As an artist, I have always been intrigued by shiny reflective objects. My childhood sketchbooks are littered with objects that reflect: vases, glasses, pitchers, ponds, and fish! What makes painting fish so intriguing and challenging is that one is essentially painting water.

Fish are covered in a film of water and slime that, much like a mirror, reflects their surrounding. Moreover, one has to simultaneously paint the local tones and colors of the actual fish. So when I paint a fish I am not only painting the colors and forms of the fish, but at the same time I am painting, or alluding to, the surrounding environment of that fish. On the same fish! If that makes any sense. Im secretly trying to confuse people ;).

Can you tell us a little bit about your art, what it means to you and how it ties up with your passion for fly fishing?

Trout are indicator species. They like cold clean water and their presence indicates healthy waters and ecosystems. There is much reverence for the trout amongst fly fishers but I would like to extend that reverence to the general community. I tend to paint them in portraiture style as to elicit a sense of importance, almost a nobility to them. I want my fish to stop people in their tracks, make them pause and reflect and perhaps consider what they can do, what we all can do, to reduce our impact on our natural systems - so that species like trout can thrive and prosper into the future.

Their presence and abundance indicates that we are managing our natural stocks in a sustainable and appropriate way.

How do you split your time between fly fishing and art?

Let’s see. I used to do nothing but fish, fish, fish. Now, I do nothing but paint, paint, paint. When the bite is on however, you won’t find me in my studio.

Has fly fishing helped you become a better artist or vice versa?

By far and away the most important element to art and fishing, for my own self, is that it teaches me how to be present. We spend less and less time these days living in the actual present moment. I am never more content than when I am in the present. With both painting and fishing I am forced to be present. To be successful in either, one must be.

They require extreme concentration. If your thoughts stray too far from the present you will likely fail in either moment. So both have helped and enriched the other because they have taught me this.

What are your dreams and aspirations as an artist – and as a fly fisherman?

From within, I simply want to make the best art I possibly can. I reckon I’ll be dedicated to that pursuit for the rest of my life. More broadly speaking, my dream is for my art to continue to resonate amongst the community of fisherman, conservationists, advocates, and the general populace. To stir within them that same reverence for my subject matter that I spoke of earlier.

What is your best advice to other fellow fly fishermen who would like to experiment with art?

Don’t get caught up in the scales and spots! Over rendering these areas can actually flatten out your form.

The human eye can only focus on one area a time so your painting only needs to have one focal point as well. Over detailing the fish will actually make it a less pleasurable and natural viewing experience because your brain will be forced to perceive it in an unnatural way.

Be excited about every painting you start. It will (should) feel like work, but you still have to be inspired and emotionally invested in each painting. If you are not invested in it, it will fail. Try and be quick with your reference photos. Speedy release.

Any upcoming fly fishing trips that we should know of?

I’ll be doing a lot of “reference collecting” this September. Mostly local.

If any of our readers would like to get their hands on some of your art, where do they start?

Frame of Reference Gallery, Whitefish Montana. Horizon Fine Art Gallery, Jackson Wyoming. Creighton Block Gallery, Big Sky Montana. And of course the usual digital pathways,

www.GeorgeHillArt.com @GeorgeHillArt for IG and FB