Angling Artist: Amadeo Bachar
Though fishing on the opposite coast, Amadeo Bachar’s favorite pursuit is a familiar one to us here in the Northeast. With a surf rod in hand and the family dog, Jasper, by his side, he scans the suds in front of him for signs of boiling or breaking fish in the whitewash. Twenty years ago, he was often greeted by “foamers” (West Coast jargon for “blitzes”) of 25-pound striped bass during his morning strolls on the beach. “Since then,” said the lifelong Californian, “our striper fishery has changed a lot. I have friends down south who are now seeing big schools of 20-pound stripers from Santa Barbara to LA.” Striped bass aren’t native to the Pacific Ocean or its tributaries, but no matter where they swim, these seven-striped fish inspire awe and reverence in artists and anglers alike.
Bachar’s career as an artist began in 2004. Being part Filipino, a culture in which fishing is a staple, Bachar says “fishing was just part of our existence growing up.” His father—a devout steelhead fisherman—raised him on the rivers that meander the mountains of Humboldt County. They frequented the shores of the San Joaquin River Delta to fish for striped bass, and he recalls catching small bluefin tuna while albacore fishing in their 19-foot Bay Runner, The Coconut, which his father and uncle shared.
Bachar drew early inspiration from The Lore of Sportfishing by Frank Moss, a book that dives into the origins of angling for sport and features detailed illustrations of popular gamefish from sea to stream. The book helped Bachar realize his knack for creating scientifically and anatomically accurate depictions of saltwater and freshwater fish. “In high school, I really explored my artistic ability, but I wasn’t focused on fish,” said Bachar. “I was always drawing or painting because I was good at it and it made me feel more positive about myself,” he continued. “In college, I got sidetracked with surfing and fishing, so I didn’t make the immediate connection between my hobbies and artistic abilities until later on.”
Once he realized the intersection of his personal interests and natural artistic skill, Bachar decided he didn’t need an art degree to pursue it professionally. He switched his major to marine biology, which was more aligned with his lifestyle and leisure pursuits, and upon graduating with his B.S., he joined the University of California’s Santa Cruz Science Illustration Program in 2004. “Stylistically, I was always very good at realism, and this program reinforced that ability and honed my skill set,” Bachar said. The program consisted of just 10 students who took the same classes for one year and, because it was so portfolio driven, he quickly started building a body of work.
With school in the rear-view mirror, Bachar began doing very general, scientific fish illustrations for a variety of publications and organizations, including the California Department of Fish & Wildlife. “They were redoing all the fish IDs for their guidebook, which consisted of at least 100 different species, and I was up to the task,” said Bachar. He was able to maintain licensing rights to all those fish, and by 2008, he had established himself as a competent and talented freelance illustrator, with his artwork published by National Geographic and the United Nations, among others.
When Bachar attended his first fishing trade show with prints of his artwork, he made only $300. It covered his gas money to and from the show and bought him a few beers, an exciting and prosperous outcome for a young artist selling his work for the first time.
Eventually, Bachar garnered enough of a following that he wound up on the radar of some big-name brands. He began merchandising his designs with national fishing media and apparel companies like Bloody Decks Outdoors, Salty Crew, and Igloo, which put his art in front of millions of eyes. To this day, Bachar’s most popular body of work is his Nautical Chart series–a collection of watercolor paintings that showcase the United States’ most coveted gamefish over region-specific charts of their native waters.
Nowadays, Bachar spends more time managing his website and online store, but he’s also developing local scientific illustration workshops and an online curriculum to teach aspiring artists of all skill levels. “I’ve been given a gift,” he said, “and have a responsibility to share it with others in more ways than one.”
Bachar, who turns 50 this year, said his goal for the past decade was to establish himself as a fish artist. With his art now shipping around the world, he’s more than content with where his career has taken him. However, he admits he’d like to focus less on the management side, get back to his creative roots, and spend more time fishing. “I’m always telling other people’s stories through commissioned work, but in this next decade, my goal is to share some of the stories that I want to tell,” he said. One of those stories is “An Ode to the East Coast Striper”, which would aim to capture the locations, tackle, people, and culture of fishing for Atlantic striped bass.
And while Bachar typically starts each painting by sketching the fish and referencing photos from friends, the client, or the internet, “Sometimes,” he says, “I like to catch it right before I paint it.” If that’s the case, Bachar is due for a trip to the Northeast.
Follow Amadeo Bachar on Instagram: @abachar
Source: https://onthewater.com/angling-artist-amadeo-bachar
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