Gyotaku is a Japanese method of printmaking that traditionally utilizes fish, sea creatures or similar subjects as printing “plates” in its process. The literal translation of the word is “fish stone rubbing.” Gyotaku, or Japanese fish printing, was originally used to record and commemorate a fisherman’s catch. Throughout his practice, Artist Jeff Conroy has adapted this long established tradition and made it his own in a unique and invigorating body of work that blends tradition and modernity.

Gyotaku is the traditional Japanese method of printing fish, a practice which dates back to the early 1800s. This method of printing stemmed from fishermen documenting their catches and immortalizing them for posterity. Almost 200 years after the creation of this printing technique, Artist Jeff Conroy incorporated this method into his practice through this love for fishing. Just as the fishermen did hundreds of years ago, Conroy begins by catching his own fish and creatures on midwestern lakes to later lather them in ink and document them, in a way that ultimately reinvigorates, innovates and builds upon this long established tradition. Jeff Conroy incorporates colored pencil drawing as well as a plethora of textures and patterns into his pieces, creating a tasteful liminality between past and future; tradition and modernity; elegance and humor; and more importantly opening the doors to the intersectionality between eastern and western art practices. Through his vivid , bright and eye-catching compositions Conroy retells his own experiences, imbuing them with the relevance of contemporary pop culture and media in an almost diaristic fashion. Just as the fishermen printed their catches as documentation of their achievements and experiences; Throughout his practice Conroy doesn't only catch the fish, he also catches the viewer, immersing them into his art , printing instances of a collective memory that tells the story of the time we inhabit.