Fish Out of Water - Intarsia Woodworking

Most everything that I do, I do with someone in mind and/or for some reason. I very rarely make something just to make it. I found a picture a while back that I really liked of a fish jumping up out of the water to catch a dragon-fly. What drew me to this design was the way the water seemed to splash right out of the frame over a log. I had it printed and held on to it until now.

My brother-in-law had a band saw that he never used and it seemed like it was going to waste. I had a feeling he would just be getting rid of it soon, so I called him up and asked him what his plans were for this saw. His response was “I’m taking it to your house!” Perfect I thought! I get a new toy and now I have an excuse to make him something as a way of saying “Thank You!”

It didn’t take me long to remember the fish design that I had stored away for such an occasion as this. I pulled it out and got to work immediately. Once I started this piece, I began to make small changes here and there. The design called for some weeds and cat tails sticking up out of the water. I didn’t like this as much, so I removed them from my plan. I also decided to remove the dragon-fly that the fish was jumping up to grab and I inserted a fishing lure.

Since my brother-in-law is a fisherman, I knew this change would personalize this piece and make all the difference in the world. I wanted it to look like the fish had just been hooked and was being pulled up out of the water. His delight when I gave it to him makes all of this worthwhile and I would consider this a mission accomplished!

-- Chris Mobley - http://www.cmobleydesigns.com