Bernie Mangiaracina – Honesdale, PA

Brothers Of The Angle
Honesdale, PA
oil on canvas
16″ x 24″

There was always something about fishing that led me to pursue its practice throughout my life. It gave me a way to connect with the natural world. The repetition of casting and retrieving soothed my soul. Fly tying became a way to understand the habits of the fish. The study of the life cycle of the bugs on the water brought me closer to the natural order of the river. Eventually, a fisherman is no longer an intruder, but an integral part of the life found on the river. One becomes a part of the river. As the river flows with its ever changing environment, so does my life. This is the truth of my approach to the sport, but it is not necessarily true for all.

As with fishing, the making of images and forms has driven my life since childhood. It has been a way for me to express that which moves me. It has been a pursuit to understand both my external and internal worlds. I search to understand my river of life. This pursuit can lead to joining the act of making with the maker. The artistic act can transcend its initial intent and leads to other worlds. In this way, it echos the most transcendent qualities that I seek in fly fishing. They each guide one another to enter the same room, but from different doors.

It was a few years back that I decided to join my two loves and explore my fishing world with my image-making skills. I photographed fishermen at a distance to capture them unaware of being watched. They were as natural in the environment as the water bug dancing on the surface of the river. Because of the distance, the fishermen became nonspecific and, therefore, represented all fishermen. They start their day with an act of faith and end it with an act of charity.

I seek to express the spiritual connection with the flow of life that can be found when fishing through these paintings.