The Mystery of Eels

Web-Exclusive: Painting with Eels

Inspired by Gyotaku, a Japanese fish-printing art form popularized in the mid-1800s, artist and naturalist James Prosek creates a series of pieces employing the nature-print technique. But instead of using the traditional large-scaled carp to make his art, Prosek decided to use a rather unusual fish as his creative tool: the eel. To make these massive paintings, Prosek uses eels that died in the local bait shop near his art studio in Connecticut, as a way to pay homage to a too-often misunderstood creature.