I met Steve Seinberg eight years ago while toiling behind the counter of a fly shop. I was new to town and looking for like-minded individuals. I’m not sure what Steve was looking for, although it’s never a bad idea to make friends with fly-shop junkies. After a few visits, I asked Steve what he did for a living that afforded him such frequent midday appearances in the shop—not to mention a well-worn disheveled appearance. Un-sheepishly, he answered, “Artist.”

My first reaction was to Google him as soon as he left the shop. I was hoping for some sort of weird Gallagher-esque performance art involving exploding fruit, but what I found was the portfolio of an accomplished painter with a global reputation in the world of abstract art.

Abstract art, flyfishing and one thing’s influence on the other isn’t a normal conversation played out in high-end art galleries, nor have I ever heard it discussed in a fly shop. Moreover, in traditional sporting art there is a fine and long tradition that’s rather explicit: What you see is what you get…

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