James Prosek

Works by Prosek and others are juxtaposed with natural objects in an illuminating interrogation of the artificial boundaries we create between art and nature Award-winning artist, writer, and naturalist James Prosek (b. 1975) has gained a worldwide following for his deep connection with the natural world, which serves as the basis for his art and numerous popular books. In this cross-disciplinary catalogue, Prosek poses the question, What is art and what is artifact—and to what extent do these distinctions matter? Drawing on the collections of the Yale University Art Gallery and the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Prosek places man- and nature-made objects on equal footing aesthetically, suggesting that the distinction between them is not as vast as we may believe. In more than 150 full-color plates, objects such as a bird’s nest, dinosaur head, and cuneiform tablet are juxtaposed with Asian handscrolls, an African headdress, modern masterpieces, and more. Artists featured include Albrecht Dürer, Helen Frankenthaler, Vincent van Gogh, Barbara Hepworth, Pablo Picasso, and Jackson Pollack, as well as Prosek himself, whose works depict fish, birds, and endangered wildlife. Also included are an incisive essay by Edith Devaney and texts by Prosek that explore the magnificent productions of our wondrous interconnected world.Distributed for the Yale University Art GalleryExhibition Schedule:Yale University Art Gallery (February 14–June 7, 2020)

The captivating watercolors of James Prosek, the artist the New York Times calls "the Audubon of the fishing world." In the tradition of his acclaimed Trout: An Illustrated History, renowned naturalist, artist, and fisherman James Prosek captures thirty-five of the most pursued game fish—from striped bass to tarpon, swordfish to bonefish—as well as many creatures that share these marine ecosystems through rich, highly detailed watercolors painted specifically for this volume. Each painting reflects Prosek’s individual experience with a single fish. The artist traveled the world to experience firsthand each species just out of the water before the fish lose their true colors. The original works are life-size portraits (from a 14-inch porgy to a 12?-foot blue marlin), and details from the originals are reproduced at full size to give a sense of scale. This book is a must-have for saltwater anglers, conservationists, art lovers, and anyone passionate about the beauty of the coastline and the mysteries swimming off its shores.

When James Prosek was just fifteen, a ranger named Joe Haines caught him fishing without a permit in a stream near Prosek's home in Connecticut. But instead of taking off with his fishing buddy, James put down his rod and surrendered. It was a move that would change his life forever. Expecting a small fine and a lecture, James instead received enough knowledge about fishing and the great outdoors to last a lifetime.The story of an unlikely friendship, Joe and Me is a book for those who remember the mentor in their life, the one who changed the way they look at the world.

The trout of North America range from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from the Arctic Circle to the Tropic of Cancer. With the passion of an angler and the stunning accuracy of a field scientist, artist James Prosek began painting all the varieties across the continent, inspired by John James Audubon s classic bird portraits. By the age of 20 he had journeyed thousands of miles through 49 states to depict all 70 subspecies of North American wild trout at least four times. Those works are now reproduced on this set of cards, detailing the diversity and brilliant range of colors in the species in vivid watercolors. On the back of each card is an engaging, informative description of that trout: its range, food, distinctive markings, and habitat. No other card deck shows all of the popular varieties, much less the rare, exotic, and in some cases extinct species, subspecies, and strains included in this comprehensive collection: char; Apache, Gila, and Mexican trout; rainbow, redband, and golden trout; cutthroat trout; brown trout; and Atlantic salmon. Each card offers the experience of standing in a clear stream with a seasoned guide at your side to explain what makes each trout special.

In 2021, Prosek traveled to the Texas Hill Country to understand the region s threatened prairie habitats, thus embarking on a project to explore the complex realities of contemporary American grasslands. Prosek s art is influenced by his science-based, firsthand fieldwork, with his handwritten notes often lining the margins. The book features his richly detailed watercolors and silhouettes of animals, plants, and habitats that reinforce the importance of the prairies as their own complete ecosystems as well as the boundaries that define them in the present day from fencerows to more subtle transitions that distinguish a native prairie from one with invasive grasses. Art lovers, students of American history, landscape architects, horticulturalists, environmentalists, and lovers of open spaces will enjoy adding this book to their libraries.

In the rereleased edition of Trout of the World, fans of James Prosek’s unique painting talent will revel in the addition of 30 new fish paintings and a newly penned preface. First released in 2003, Trout of the World features original watercolors of trout from around the world, ranging from the Oxus trout of eastern Afghanistan to the small golden brown trout of British chalk streams. Each unique painting is coupled with a historical profile of the fish, as well as personal reflections from the author. Prosek savors the beauty of various fishing spots, along with the fate of the species, contemplating man’s role in the extinction of animals. Both sensitive and informative, Trout of the World is a must for the library of the recreational fisherman as ichthyologist.

"Eels is] more than a fish book. It is an impassioned defense of nature itself. . . . Prosek] passes on the truth that the often disdained eel, like all migratory fish, is vital and mysterious and worthy of our full effort to bring it back." -- New York Times Book Review"A wonderful account of far-flung travels in pursuit of the secrets of the earth's most mysterious fish. . . . Fascinating and beautifully rendered." -- Peter MatthiessenFamous for his deeply informed, compulsively readable books on trout, James Prosek (whom the New York Times has called "the Audubon of the fishing world") takes on nature's quirkiest and most enigmatic fish: the eel. Fans of Mark Kurlansky's Cod and The Big Oyster or Trevor Corson's The Secret Life of Lobsters will love Prosek's probing exploration of the hidden deep-water dwellers. With characteristically captivating prose and lavish illustrations, Prosek demystifies the eel's unique biology and bizarre mating routines, and illuminates the animal's varied roles in the folklore, cuisine, and commerce of a variety of cultures.

Change is all around us. From the first buds of springtime to the first autumn frost, nature shows us that change is all around us and that the world has its own way of beginning anew. Bird, Butterfly, and Eel spend their summers on the same coastal farm, but in the fall they go to very distant and different places. Their journeys to the far reaches of land and sea make them remarkable creatures. James Prosek uses their stories and his own sun-kissed paintings to introduce young readers to the basic elements of bird, fish, and insect migration.

A travelogue and fishing memoir by the author of The Complete Angler follows his round-the-world tour along the globe's forty-first parallel, a journey that took him from his Connecticut hometown to such places as the minefields of the Balkans and the small mountain streams of Japan's Shiritoko Peninsula. Reprint.

Having developed a passion for fishing as a boy, James Prosek searched in vain for a book that catalogued the trout he had come to treasure. Then he began painting them himself, inspired by John James Audubon's classic bird portraits. This is the dazzlingly beautiful result, with more than seventy original watercolors by a true prodigy--only twenty years old and already considered "a fair bid to become the Audubon of the fishing world" (The New York Times). The trout of North America range from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from the Arctic Circle to the Tropic of Cancer. No other book pictures all of the popular varieties, much less the rare, exotic, and in some cases extinct species, subspecies, and strains included in this comprehensive collection. Char; Apache, Gila, and Mexican trout; rainbow, redband, and golden trout; cutthroat trout; brown trout and Atlantic salmon--each of these, and many more, are captured in vivid watercolors, along with engaging, informative descriptions of their evolution and habitats. With youthful passion and stunning accuracy, James Prosek celebrates as never before the indelicble beauty and variety of the trout, and makes an eloquent plea for its preservation. An unprecedented reference, Trout is essential for the serious angler--and a glorious introduction for anyone who loves fishing and the outdoors.