This method of printing allows for excellent educational workshops at both the elementary school level and the high school level. It allows me to discuss both sustainability issues as well as instructing students on print making. Freshly caught specimens will be used to discuss the types of fish that can be found in local waters whether it be the Hudson River or the Long Island Sound.

In my workshops, every student participates in a hands on gyotaku session. The rubbings are made on a quality mulberry paper and can be mounted on board or plexi glass that makes a beautiful translucent image. These rubbings can also be used in collages as a class project. The gyotaku process can also be applied to t-shirts and most any type of fabric.

This works well indoors as well as outside for a field day type activity. For information about these workshops, contact Joe Mullins at the contact link.

Previous Workshops

Here are some images from a 3rd and 4th grade workshop I did at Carrie E Tompkins Elementary School in Croton on Hudson NY

Above, I am discussing the spiny dorsal on a Black sea bass from Long Island Sound.

I create the visual graphics specifically for each workshop

The science and anatomy of the fish are discussed while the art is in progress

These 3rd graders get ready to make a rubbing from a Black sea bass.

Every student gets a hands on experience in this process. This method of mono printing creates some powerful images.

3rd grader, Eva made this rubbing from a Bluefish caught in the Hudson River
These images are made from acrylic paint on mulberry paper, these images will remain brilliant for years

Here is an American Shad that a 3rd grader made

At the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich CT, we worked with Black Sea Bass from Long Island Sound (below).

Here is a rubbing one of the students made. We framed it and it is in their library now.

At a one day workshop at St Marks in Yonkers NY I did a session that covered several grades. Below are some of the students and their work. The featured fish was a very large Striped bass that I caught in the Hudson. It was fun talking to the students about the catch.

The 6th grader below knew exactly what she wanted and work very hard

Her efforts were clearly worth it! She made a beautiful Gyotaku of a Striped bass

The students made many extra rubbings that I used to create a large collage of migrating Striped bass. The collage was than mounted onto clear plexi glass using a UV gel, it created a large beautiful transparent light weight window that went into a major art sho at ArtsWestchester. The show than traveled to the Mt Vernon City Hall.

A total of 5 schools participated in these shows with art that was created through my workshops

The transparent image below is 5.5′ X 4.5′.  The art will make a home at St Marks school. These prints were done by 3rd and 4th graders. I made a large collage and mounted on plexi.

On the high school level I created a workshop for the AP Art Students at Croton on Hudson NY.

Some of the students made clothing

Some of the prints were made into art that departed the traditional Gyotaku process completely. Below is one sample. The fishes fins are made with safety pins. This AP student went on to study costume design at SUNY Purchase

Here are a few more that the students made