DEWEES, Christopher
Born: 1946, in San Francisco
Medium: Gyotaku, or fish printing

Chris was first introduced to the specialized medium of fish printing in 1968, just as he was preparing to graduate with a B.S. degree from the University of the Redlands.  Since then he has continued to pursue his understanding of the printing process, and the fish themselves.  In academics, he has earned an M.S. in Fisheries from Humboldt State University, and a Ph.D. in Ecology at UC Davis.  At UC Davis, he was the Sea Grant Marine Fisheries Specialist, serving as a link between the University of California and the state’s commercial and recreational fishing industries from 1972-2007.  Now he has emeritus status.  
Chris earned worldwide recognition for his mastery of gyotaku (literally, fish rubbing).  The process involves using actual fish and shellfish.  Inks are applied directly to a cleaned, well dried fish.  Handmade papers are then placed over the fish, and the ink is transferred by gently rubbing with one’s fingers.  Only the eye is hand-painted.  Recently he has been doing more indirect printing on thin silk fabric to achieve finer detail. The artist’s han is the Japanese character for “orphan” or “lonely one”, which is what Dewees means in Dutch.
The prints that come from the artist’s studio are delicate and refined renditions, retaining the accuracy of a scientific illustration, while evoking a strong sense of artistic design and subtlety in placement and configuration.

Solo and Group Exhibitions:
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
Gyotaku no Kai, Tokyo
Kaiser Center, Oakland
International House, Davis
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
Art by the Sea, Auckland New Zealand
Sonoma County Museum, Santa Rosa
Japanese Consulate, San Francisco
The Ren Brown Collection, Bodega Bay
Collections:
President Francois Mitterand, Paris
Dr. Thomas Thompson, Orinda
Dr. Reed Enos, Davis