David Tibbetts
I live in a small town in New Hampshire where nearby ponds and rivers fill my pallet. Im a watercolorist who loves fishing or perhaps a fisherman who loves to paint watercolors! They are of ponds and river, of fisherman and their boats. My inspiration usually comes while standing in a river with my fly rod in hand.
Rivers, rocks, boats, and constant change are exciting to me. Back in my studio, I paint and go back to that magic moment. I want people to enjoy that moment, too. Not as I enjoyed it, but with whatever they bring to the painting. Fortunately I live in a part of the world where, within five minutes to three hours, I can be on some of the best fishing and painting water in the country. Fly fishing has brought me so much more than the catching.
David Tibbetts studied Fine Arts and Graphic Design at Vesper George School of Art in the late 1950’s. After a twenty year career in graphic design, Tibbetts turned his talents to designing and producing games and high-end jigsaw puzzles under the name of Stave Puzzles. Years later, he branched out to create Centre Chimney Crafts, building wooden toys and puzzles exclusively for children.
Tibbetts’ paintings are represented in The American Museum of Fly Fishing, Rangeley Region Heritage Trust, select galleries and many private collections throughout the country. He has exhibited his paintings at The Adirondack National Exhibition of American Watercolors, Trout Unlimited National Convention, the L. L. Bean Fall Art Festival, and Guides Day. His paintings have appeared in national publications and books such as Fly-Fishing Magazine and Maine Fish and Wildlife, and are featured in The Hatch Guide For New England Streams by Thomas Ames, Jr. His work was juried and selected by the Carnegie Institute for a national arts and crafts exhibition tour and represented at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Tibbetts’ book, Tight Lines, a collection of his watercolor paintings of Maine and New Hampshire anglers, was published in 2004 by Grey Ghost Publishing