JOSEPH R. TOMELLERI SUNFISH PRINTS: BLUE SPOTTED AND BANDED SUNFISHES

JOSEPH R. TOMELLERI SUNFISH PRINTS: BLUE SPOTTED AND BANDED SUNFISHES Joe's drawings are executed in Berol Prismacolor pencils and are renowned for their precision. They portray the fishes faithfully with accurate life colors, scale and fin ray-counts, and a full spread of the fins in a manner that is impossible photographically. Joe is recognized by many ichthyologists as the finest scientific illustrator of fishes in the world.Joe employs a variety of methods to capture specimens, and frequently relies on the expertise of local professors and fisheries biologists. Methods of collecting fishes include: hook-and-line, gill netting, seining, electroshocking, and trawling. Joe prefers to photograph fresh, live-caught fishes in the field so he can accurately depict life colors. Occasionally, he will enlist the aid of friends who will photograph particularly uncommon species and ship the frozen (or live) specimens to him. These specimens are preserved for reference and ultimately are deposited in museums. Joe is an avid angler, spending many of his hours with a fly rod in pursuit of carp. ABOUT THE ARTISTKansas City Artist Joseph R. Tomelleri graduated with an M.S. in Biology from Fort Hays State University (Hays, KS) in 1984. After working briefly as a botanist, Joe turned full time to illustration in 1986. Since that time, he has traveled more than 135,000 miles to collect live fishes for his scientific renderings. His 750+ illustrations have appeared in more than 200 publications, including 25 books, scores of magazines, advertisements, greeting cards, T-shirts, furniture, posters, trading cards, newspapers, and identification guides. Recently, Joe illustrated the landmark book, Trout and Salmon of North America, written by Bob Behnke. ISBN: 0-JTP-00290-0 publish date: 01/01/1996