It’s a good bet that you’ve never seen anything quite like Daniel Lopez’s flyfishing-inspired art before. Using state-of-the-art digital techniques married to traditional methods such as paint, colored pencil, ink and markers, Lopez’s work seems to leap off the page in a dazzling spray of color, line work and intricately rendered detail. In the essay accompanying his collection, “Slightly Obsessive”, Lopez explains that his work is not just about chasing fish, but connecting to the spaces he inhabits.

For a sportsman and artist growing up in Southern California you might not think flyfishing would be a first (or second or third) choice for an obsessive pursuit and focus of one’s work. However, Daniel Lopez spent his formative years chasing fish of all sorts with his father who was a passionate—if not slightly obsessive—fisherman.

“I only flyfish now, but back in the day with my dad it was all about fishing,” Daniel says. “Spinners, eggs, Power Bait and even the occasional dog-food chum or wrap of ham and cheese on the hook—as long as it was fishing, we were game.” Included in the sometimes-less-than-exotic spots they frequented were local ponds and lakes for bass and catfish along with as much as a month straight every summer chasing steelhead, salmon and trout in Northern California and Oregon.

Daniel recalls, “those long summer trips with my family chasing fish and exploring places less-traveled were an amazing adventure and provided some of my most lasting memories.” Those early experiences helped to develop an appreciation and love of nature Daniel carries with him to this day, and his desire to provide a means to protect and connect people to nature permeates his professional design work.

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