Artist Angler Profile: Tyler Hackett
Equipped with an ink roller in one hand and a fly rod in the other, Tyler Hackett enjoys creating pieces of art and finding places to drift a fly in and around his home waters of the mountain west. Time spent on the water casting flies relates directly to the time spent in the printmaking studio. Both require patience, thoughtful repetition and attention to detail in pursuit of well-earned rewards.
Each print starts out as a drawing, distilled down to a black and white image. The drawing is then transferred to a prepared piece of finish grade plywood. Then I begin hand cutting, removing all the wood that represents the area to remain white after printing. It takes quite a bit of time to get everything cut out, especially all the beautiful spots and scales. Once I feel the carving is complete the "plate" is sealed to prevent the oil based ink from sinking into the wood. Ink is then rolled over the surface of the plate, paper is placed on the inked plate and the whole thing is hand cranked through a flatbed press. The prints are then allowed to dry. Once completely dry, some of the prints are individually hand colored, rendering it one-of-a-kind.
Time spent on the water casting flies relates directly to the time spent in the printmaking studio. Both require patience, thoughtful repetition and attention to detail in pursuit of well-earned rewards.
