08
May 11

Salven Paints Some FIBFest Goodness

Here’s a new Bragging Rights Portrait of Eric Rathbun of Moldy Chum who recently had the opportunity for the ethereal experience while chasing Bones in the Bahamas.

via ” Bahama Bonefish ” Tropical Bragging Rights Fish Art portrait –  Mike Savlen.

That is just pure awesome.  Mike does some really, really good work.  This picture was taken at FIBFest… some really good pictures were taken by Cameron and now one of those has been turned into a pretty kick arse painting by Mike.

 

I want one.

 

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17
Oct 10

First crack at fly fishing for Bonefish  – Mike Savlen

Maybe you have heard of Mike Savlen, maybe you haven’t.  You probably HAVE seen his work before.  He is an artist and a damn fine one at that.  Not only does  he do paintings of all manner of fish from bonefish to tarpon, rooster fish, marlin, dorado, steelhead and stripers, he’ll paint YOUR fish… he offers a “Bragging Rights Portraits” which just look cooler than is reasonable.

I saw today that Mike recently went after bonefish with a fly for the first time.  This amazes me because I love his paintings of bonefish which would lead me to believe he’s caught millions of them and is on a first name basis with the large majority of them.  His first trip didn’t go well from a catching perspective, but the fishing was great.

He was in the US Virgin Islands, long known for the near total destruction of their bonefish fishery due to netting and habitat loss.  Still, some fish are there and it is pretty with a backdrop of forested hills that you don’t get in the Bahamas.

Although I was told not to expect too much, I had packed my fly rod and felt it would be completely disrespectful if I simply left it in the case the whole trip.

via Click here to read the full story – First crack at fly fishing for Bonefish  – Fresh Art Blog – Fly Fishing Paintings Sport Fishing and Marine Art and limited edtion sport fishing prints Of Mike Savlen.

Mike


05
Sep 09

Objectum: The Art of Bonefish

Popping up yesterday  on a google alert was a bit of bonefish art.  My current fixation on bonefish is pretty broad and includes art, just like it includes t-shirts.  This print is by a guy named Mike Salven.  He lives and works out of Costa Rica and does some interesting work, including immortalizing that big catch of yours (which looks totally ruling, by the way).

Oh, there are so many faces and facets to angling.  That’s one of the great things about it.

Upon seeing this Salven painting I immediately thought of Tim Borski (I’d say they do pretty similar looking work, but I’m no art critic, I just know what I like), who does some pretty good work himself, including doing the art for that pretty frigging cool Able bonefish reel that is benefiting the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.  Tim has set a standard (if not THE standard) for painting fish for our modern age.  Some good stuff.  Check out his site to see more.

Bonefish Art.

One sweet looking reel!

Needless to say, each of these bits of bonefishy art is more than or equal to an actual trip for me, so they won’t be gracing the walls here in Bonefish Day Dreaming Capital of the Sierra Foothills… but if you have the scratch… art by either of these guys would be nice to stare at when it is gray and 36 outside.