Cape-Cod-LIFE

The Fine Art of Fish

Cape Cod Life  /  July 2024 /

Writer: Matthew Nilsson

The Fine Art of Fish

Cape-Cod-LIFE

Cape Cod Life  /  July 2024 /

Writer: Matthew Nilsson


Photos provided by John Doherty

Local artist and angler unexpectedly finds inspiration in the unique and ancient process of fish painting.

The allure of the sea is its ability to stir something deep within us. From the shore, we marvel at what lays beyond the breaking of the waves. Our ancestors were drawn out to its depths in search of sustenance and discovery. To this day, we continue to plumb the abyss in that tradition with the hopes of returning home not just alive, but inspired. 

Artist and angler, John Doherty, of FishAye Trading Company in West Harwich, comes from that long lineage of men and women who’ve found themselves drawn to the ocean. His grandfather was an avid fisherman and played a major role in the construction of the Provincetown Marina while his grandmother captured her love of the water in paintings. In turn, Doherty’s father was influenced by both of his parents. He painted, kept lobster traps, and loved taking his wife and children out on the family boat. 

As one would expect with a background like this, Doherty has actively spent many a days out on the ocean fishing with friends, family, and occasionally just by himself (with his trusty dog Mac by his side of course). Becoming an artist, however, came about almost by accident.

Doherty, inspired by his father and grandmother, had painted as a hobby but his career running an insurance company was a far cry from running a gallery. However, one day while out fishing over a decade ago, a day like any other, he had landed some bluefish for a clam bake he was attending that evening. When he pulled his boat back into Herring River in Harwich Port he noticed that one of the fish...

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