Join Fort Ross Conservancy and instructor Christopher Dewees to learn the Japanese art form of Direct Fish Printing or Gyotaku, first practiced in the mid-1800s in Japan to celebrate the fish caught for a samurai lord’s feast. In the past fifty years, artists in Japan and elsewhere have refined these techniques into a sophisticated art form. All profits from this workshop go to benefit Fort Ross Conservancy’s Marine Ecology Program Education Fund.

The method involves brushing or rolling water-soluble inks directly onto a clean and dry fish or other object. Paper or fabric is then laid over the top of the fish and the ink is transferred.

The instructor will supply basic materials including inks, brushes, papers, fish and small octopus. Participants are encouraged to bring any special paper, a tee shirt or other fabric to print on. Each attendee will receive a complimentary copy of Christopher Dewees’s fish printing book with instructions.

Special event fees apply: $60 full day including lunch, or $50 without lunch (if purchased online, California State Parks $8 per car entrance fee is waived).

For more info, please contact Special Events Manager Sondra Hunter at info@fortross.org or (707) 847-3437.