A few years ago I began doing a few art shows each summer in the Pacific Northwest.  I wanted to see more of that part of the country and experience all that Washington and Oregon have to offer.  Seeing the country and experiencing its people is a perk that comes with being a professional artist.  I like to travel.  My job requires that I transport my large paintings with me when ever I go to an art fair.  I drive a large Dodge Sprinter Van which can easily hold paintings in excess of five feet wide.   These vans drive like a dream and are tall enough for my six foot frame to stand up inside.   Last year I got the notion to build a bunk in the back of the van.  This allowed me the freedom to stop and camp in federal campsites and fly fish along the way to Portland, Oregon.  If I am not painting or showing my artwork, I am probably fishing.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love all the amenities of a nice hotel room, but I find camping and fly fishing a relaxing change of pace.

I planned plenty of time to allow for some choice fly fishing as I made my way out to Oregon.  Some might say that it is hard to find a better tailwater fishery than below the Flaming Gorge dam in northeastern Utah.  I camped and fished the Green for days on end before picking my way up through Wyoming and on out to Oregon.  My final fishing destination before business in Portland, was Maupin, Oregon and the Deschutes River.  I had never fished the Deschutes and casting a fly onto such heralded waters was my main excuse for my long journey northwest.  I was not disappointed.  In fact, I fell in love with the place.  Oregon was all that I could talk about when I got back home in Kansas.  Need I say that there is not much in the way of fly fishing for trout in the flatlands of the Jayhawk state.

I do not claim to be any kind of an expert fly fisherman.  I have been a fisherman all of my life, but fly fishing is something that I took up later in life.  I like the challenge and am still learning every chance I get.  It is a gentlemen’s sport, as much about being out of doors as it is about tricking a fish into eating a fly.  I have fished some of the nicest waters to ever wet a fly west of Kansas.  Sheryl and I have a son living in Aspen.  I enjoy the swift mountain rivers outside of Aspen every chance I get.   The Frying Pan and Roaring Fork are gold medal streams always worth the ten hour drive west from Wichita.  I have spent ample time on the Snake in Wyoming and its beauty is unsurpassed inside Teton National Park.  But the high desert and volcanic geology of the Deschutes is unique.

This is why I was quite honored to be asked by the Deschutes River Conservancy www.deschutesriver.org to provide an image to be used for marketing this year’s Tight Lines Auction.  The Deschutes River Conservancy helps to monitor the flow of the river and improve the efficiency of water used for irrigation purposes.  It is this shared water management between all parties that guarantees the future health of the Deschutes River and its area basin.  This is not an easy task in the far reaching western states where water is as valuable as gold.  After visiting the beautiful Deschutes River last year, I can think of no other group I would rather be involved in supporting with the use of my artwork.  My painting, “Mostly Lies” will be used on posters, coffee mugs and t-shirts to promote this year’s Tight Lines fund raising event.

Travis Johnson with a “storied” monster in my painting, “Mostly Lies.”

The locals all know Travis Johnson as a professional fishing guide at Deschutes Angler in Maupin, Oregon.  Travis was my guide last year while Steelhead fishing on the lower Deschutes.  That is Travis with a “storied” fish that is bigger than he is (all my doing.)   Such stories may be commonplace among fishing circles; although not as exaggerated as my painting might suggest.  I pushed the limits of the envelope a wee bit, but most fishermen are born liars.  Travis was my model for this surreal wrestling match between fish and man.  He just did not know it at the time.  Travis has been fishing the Deschutes since he was a young lad and his stories are all  true as best I know.  In fact, you cannot go wrong with any of the guide services from Deschutes Angler.   They are a top notch group with a working knowledge of the river that is as good as it gets.

Should you wish to learn more about the Deschutes River Conservancy, visit their website www.deschutesriver.org.

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