Friday, January 23, 2015

Fish Art + Fly Interview...Abe Pieciak aka "Lure Fish"


I was recently introduced to Abe on Instagram thanks to Berto aka @_this_guy on Instagram. Abe Pieciak aka @lure_fish. It was literally less than a tenth of a second before I hit the 'Follow' button and found myself liking nearly every photo he has posted. I was blown away.

As many of you know from previous posts, my disabled brother works a lot with watercolor. And because of that, I have a deep passion for that medium when it comes to art. As you'll see in the interview, Abe loves to work with all types of art but watercolor is where its at for him too.

Check it...







1.     Tell us a little bit about yourself (i.e. Where your from, what you do for a living, etc).


I was raised in northern Maine along the coast. I now reside on Martha's Vineyard. I have been here for 6 years and I appreciate it more and more every year. Its a really amazing place and I have met some great people here. I was a cook/chef for around 15 years. I have always been an artist but was always all over the place. I painted the first fish 2 years ago and have stuck with it. I decided to put the hot pans down, a major decrease in salary and do what I love to do, paint fish.

2.     What got you into fly fishing, how long have you been fly fishing, and what does the sport mean to you?

I started fly fishing about 3 months ago believe it or not. It's something I was always really interested in but had so much other stuff going on I really didn't have the time to learn. I traded some art work last year for a 9' 4weight rod, and pulled it out this past fall once the salt water fishing kind of slowed down. My good bud justin tied me some flys and I went to this little pond called the pickerel pit. I threw the fly out there and hooked a decent pickerel. Then I headed to the beach and caught some striped bass. It was the most satisfying feeling and now my life is over! Haha I'm sure you all know what I mean.

3.     Where is your home water, what water do you feel most at home on?

My home water is here on the Vineyard. I have a couple spots that I fish which I can not really say. I honestly usually check the tides, winds, and moon phases and will hop in the wagon and drive to a spot. 90 percent of the time I go out at night. There's some sick little ponds also and I venture into the woods and walk this little stream and catch native Brookies. 

4.     What got you into drawing?

Not watching television.haha I constantly have to be doing something with my hands. It's just cool coming up with an idea and holding something you created in your hands. They say you will master an idea after you do it for 10,000 hours? 

5.     How long have you been drawing?

I'm 31 so probably around 30 years. 




6.     Do you believe your love for the sport of fly fishing influences your art?

Before I started fly fishing 95% of the paintings were saltwater fish. The past few months have been mostly trout pieces. Trout amaze me. Fishing amazes me. All of you fisherman out there inspire me. Thank you all! 



7.     If you could catch only one species of fish in the world on the fly for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

If I get a false albacore on fly this year I'll let you know! There's a good chance I'll probably just get spooled and have bloody knuckles though.



8.     What one famous figure in fly fishing would you like to spend one day on the water with?

My friend Justin Pribanic. He's the most humble, relaxed fisherman. He guided steal head im PA for many years and works at coops bait and tackle during the fishing season here. He's a hell of a fly tier as well. A lot of his flies sell on www.saltwaterflies.com. He's the man! Ps- he's not famous YET. Also, my buddy Dolan Geiman, he's a fly guy and amazing artists as well, his website is www.dolangeiman.com.

9.     Who is your favorite artist (if you have one)? Do you draw inspiration from any artist in particular? 

Vic Muniz and Evan hecox. I make sculptures from beach trash I collect and a lot of the inspiration comes from Muniz. 

10. What is your favorite style of drawing? Paint, pencil, watercolor, etc?

Love watercolors. Once you figure them out they are easy to use and an easy clean up. I do a bunch of other things also but my main focus right now is the water color lure/fish paintings. 





11. What social networking sites can people reach out to you through and learn more about your fly fishing and art career?

Instagram- @lure_fish


I have been busy painting all the fish for the brand that will drop this spring. I will be making shirts, hoodies, stickers, and tons of other things. If you are interested in getting some of the product in your shop shoot me an email. Thank you Morgan for the interview. Everyone should come out this fall for the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. It starts Sept 15th and ends Oct 28th. Its a great time and you could win a boat or new truck! Thanks mom and David for helping getting the brand rolling.  Commission originals are avaliable. I can do any species of fish you want. Tight lines 

This is an artist your going to want to follow. As you can tell, his art is amazing and he's driven. Abe also puts pieces together with beach trash he cleans up. Dual purpose, conservation and art make a huge statement, especially when it turns out like this...



His website is live now with a full on gear launch coming in a few months so stay tuned...




Boom...Morgan

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