Brook Trout carving with fly

Making hundreds of identical spinners puts me in a relaxing zone, where the mindless repetition occupies my hands and conscious mind, but free my subconscious to wander. 

Still occasionally, the tedium kicks in. Every now and then, I need to come up for air, and look around the work space for inspiration.

Here's one of the many artifacts positioned around the place, that gives me a jump start and refuels my creative energy. 

This one's a brook trout carving, a gift from my son Ben. 

He created this incredible art, from a chunk of wood and a piece of rock, tying the fly and attaching it with a peacock herl, to let it dance in front of the trout. 

The brookies eyes are glass. He did the base paint with vinyl paints and accented spots and detail with sharpies, coating the finished piece with epoxy.

The rock base is a piece of Colorado marble, that I collected on a field trip to the mine.

Thanks for the incredible gift and the inspiration it carries, Ben!