About the Artist:

Josh Udesen

It has been a long route to come to my "other" profession as an artist.

My artistic training is primarily self taught along with a little academic training. I never really considered the idea of art as a career, so my focus was always on the fun of art. As a kid I filled more sketchbooks than I can count and in college I took as many art classes as I could, simply because I loved them, not because I ever imagined I would do something beyond a hobby. Even if I never considered an art major or thinking of a career in art, I continued my personal goal of educating myself in painting, drawing, ceramics and printmaking.

Thinking my education and future required something other than art I graduated with a degree in history and eventually a masters degree in eduation, which lead me to a direction I love, teaching. I just finished my 27th year of teaching and for most of it I was focused on teaching high school history, humanities, geography, philosophy and world religions. Currently I am in my 18th year of teaching 11th and 12th World Religions and Visual Arts at Riverstone International School in Boise. Prior to moving to Boise I started as a high school studio art teacher in Anchorage, Alaska, 8 years as a history teacher in Central Oregon, then several years living and teaching at Tashkent International School in Uzbekistan (not a typo - I did live in Central Asia).

I spent my childhood in a household devoted to fly fishing and being outside. My father was obsessed with casting a fly and chasing trout, steelhead, salmon and bass long before there was an "industry" devoted to fly fishing. Whether I had a choice or not, I became obsessed with chasing fish as well. The beauty of being a teacher was having summers available, which allowed me to pursue a career as fly fishing guide on some of the greatest rivers on earth. During and after college I was a guide for Tikchik Narrows Lodge in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska. When I moved to Oregon I spend six summers as a guide on the Deschutes River in Central Oregon working for the Flyfisher's Place out of Sisters, Oregon.

My interests beyond fishing and art include travel, and I've been fortunate to travel to over 50 countries around the world in search of both fish and adventure. I am obessed with floating and exploring rivers on my raft, exploring empty places on maps, skiing in and out of bounds, riding single track on my mountain bike, exploring new routes on my BMW F800 GS Adventure motorcycle and teaching my 14 year old daughter sleeping under the stars is better than just about anything else a person can do.