A Talk with Fly-fishing Artist David Wickline

DW: My father was an avid fly-fisherman as well as an artist/painter, so I grew up around both. From a very early age I watched him paint, tie flies, and come back from what was for me exotic fishing trips. Also, he had a small library of art books and fly-fishing books. I spent hours looking at them as a child, as well as playing with the flies he tied. All of the above whetted my desire to fish and paint. He first took me fishing when I was seven years old. I never got over it. I also started fiddling with watercolors about that time when he gave me my own set of paper, brushes and watercolors.

Fd: Do you miss your days working as a guide?

DW: I miss the camaraderie of working with like-minded people (other guides in our outfitter business) in a team approach. I also miss the Western rivers (Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana) where I fished and guided, especially on a clear, blue-sky day, low humidity, temp in the 50’s, and big, puffy clouds – a Western sky day – with brilliant sunlight sparkling off gin-clear water full of wild trout.
Painting is a solitary endeavor for the most part, so I don’t get the daily personal connections I had when outfitting and guiding. I miss that, but I also need the solitude. I try for a balance.

Both – fly-fishing and painting - have been saving graces throughout my life.


Fd: Is there a given message you want to convey through your artwork?

DW: I don’t strive for any overt message. I think all artists do what they do in large part because they want to offer a unique part of themselves to the world and be recognized and acknowledged, crafting a connection with others in a unique and personal way.

Underlying all my work is a feeling of intimacy with the subject matter, and a feeling of aliveness that hopefully connects with viewers thru a non-verbal recognition and a sense of relatedness – “Yeah, me too.”


Fd: Where did your interest in painting Atlantic salmon flies come from?

DW: Some of my father’s fly-fishing books had color plates of flies I looked at as a child, especially Mary Orvis Marbury’s FAVORITE FLIES. The colors excited me. He also had books on Atlantic salmon fishing. Much later I lived in northern New England and traveled in the Canadian Maritimes where rod & reel Atlantic salmon fishing and the tying of Atlantic salmon flies began in North America. As an artist, the colors, textures, shapes, and the beautiful craftsmanship of the flies excited me. I let my imagination take hold.


Fd: Where can we find more about your artwork?

DW: The best source for viewing my work these days is my website, Davidwicklineart.com I post new and old work there, as well as blog about it and create/send a monthly newsletter to subscribers the first part of each month. The newsletter is free and contains images of my work as well as text about my thoughts, process, inspiration, etc. You must sign up to receive the newsletter by going to my website and entering your e-mail address in the box provided. I also have a FB page – DAVID WICKLINE FINE ART - devoted to my art work. I post work there as well.

My self-published memoir – PILGRIM CHILD: A STORY OF LOSS AND A MAN’S SEARCH FOR REDEMPTION – tells the story of my journey to the American West to start over and fulfill a dream imbued by my father. The narrative carries the reader along as I begin the life I’d once dreamed of as a child until my family was splintered in a life changing event. Real time events unfold interspersed with significant moments (flashbacks), starting in childhood, throughout my life that ultimately lead to my heading west. Although this is not, strictly speaking, a memoir of either fly-fishing or painting, those two things play a key role in the narrative (and my life) as I search for a sense of purpose, fulfillment and redemption. If anyone is interested in a copy, please contact me through my website e-mail address: dave@davidwicklineart.com