Rare Brayshaw original paintings part of exhibit in Wilson Library

A handful of rare original paintings by artist and conservationist Tommy Brayshaw is now on exhibit in Gallery 1 in the Western Libraries at Western Washington University.

The exhibit, at the northern end of the Wilson Library skybridge, is accompanied by related displays from the Fly Fishing Collection at WWU. One display case shows books and other literature donated by Paul and Mary Ann Ford, while the other contains a number of bamboo fly rods, one of them made by Brayshaw himself.

The Brayshaw originals depict trout and salmon of various kinds. Brayshaw was known for his attention to detail in not only his paintings of fish but also his woodcarvings and sculptures. It's not known how many paintings he produced, but given that he started in his 60s and that he never worked at it full time, it's not likely that more than a few hundred exist.

Brayshaw was trained as a draftsman in his native Yorkshire, England. An avid fly fisher, Brayshaw emigrated to British Columbia in 1920. He built a reputation, especially in the angling community, as a master woodcarver and sculptor. Later, as Brayshaw passed into his 60s, his friend Roderick Haig-Brown asked him to draw the illustrations for the 1947 revision of his classic "The Western Angler." That work cemented Brayshaw's reputation as a stellar artist.

Special Collections at WWU Libraries is home to 13 Brayshaw originals. Eleven, including the nine on display, were donated to Western by the McKenzie Flyfishers in Eugene, Ore. The paintings will be on display until mid-September.