The
Artist: Burt Lancaster
Seven years of Burt's childhood were spent in Japan where he
did his first fish rubbing at the age of 11. His long-standing
love of nature and deep appreciation for the beauty of God's
creations compel him to capture the brilliant as well as subtle
colors, shapes, details and textures of the aquatic life he admires
so greatly.
Burt has attempted to express a variety of colors, textures
and compositions through this unique artform, breaking with the
traditional boundaries of this historic medium. Today, Gyotaku
is an alternative to mounting fish, and has become a recognized
form of fine art.
Burt has a consuming passion for the art of gyotaku and a destiny
to produce the finest, most detailed and imaginative rubbings
humanly possible. He hopes that those who experience his gyotaku
artwork will have a greater appreciation for the magnificence
of nature and of water creatures in particular.
Before becoming an accomplished and award-winning gyotaku artist,
Burt was a wildlife artist, biology student, and Marine infantryman
in Vietnam in the late 1960s. He makes his home with his wife,
Gladys, in Tampa, Florida. The Lancasters travel extensively
exhibiting gyotaku in fine art shows and galleries, and conducting
museum seminars to teach children the art of gyotaku painting.