Mya Deryan and the Ancient Art of Fish Rubbing
Eagle Nook Resort is one of few resorts on the west coast with an Artist-in-Residence, and probably the only one whose Artist specializes in fish rubbing, or Gyotaku as it’s traditionally called.
Mya Deryan has spent her last four summers at Eagle Nook creating custom artwork for guests and staff alike. Her unique art form involves covering a fish in specialized black ink, and carefully placing a cloth or parchment over it to take a precise impression of her subject. The resulting impression is extremely detailed, showing every inch of the fish, down to the eyes, individual scales and even teeth.
While some guests prefer to leave their rubbings in black and white, Mya can also bring pieces to life with colour and even create three dimensional reliefs of rubbings. Part of what makes fish rubbing souvenirs so popular among our guests is that the fish is still perfectly edible once the impression is done. Not only do you go home with a one-of-a-kind piece of art, but your fish can still be filleted, vacuum-packed and sent with you!
