Art for trout's sake

Using pieces of torn, pre-dyed, handmade Japanese paper, artist and writer Joan Mead-Matsui has crafted a fishy piece of art and is hoping to benefit Trout Unlimited and Casting for Recovery by offering the print for sale to TU members.

The form of art, Chigirie (pronounced CHIG-eer-ee-ay) originated in Japan, and is something Mead-Matsui has been doing for 25 years. She layers the paper using the centuries-old technique so the finished piece resembles a watercolor. One of her better-known efforts—an interpretive Chigirie print of trout found in park lake—was originally commissioned several years ago by a community park board that manages park properties in several Lackawanna County, Penn., townships. The orginal was crafted over the course of about a week, and then given to the park authority to raise money for park projects.

Today, Mead-Matsui is making prints of the original artwork available to Trout Unlimited members in sizes 11 x 14, 12 x 18 and 16 x 20, with 5 percent of the purchase price ($95 for the 11 x 14, $125 for the 12 x 18 and $150 for the 16 x 20) going back to TU, and another 5 percent going to Casting for Recovery.

Several years ago, Mead-Matsui learned to fly fish and now she's a self-proclaimed "fly-fishing addict."

"I just love to fly fish," she says.

Now, a TU member in her home state of Pennsylvania, Mead-Matsui is hoping her original artwork can benefit TU and help its efforts to make fishing better in her home waters and across America. "Trout Unlimited has become a special part of my life," she said, "so I'm happy to be able to give something back."

— Chris Hunt