Angling Art: “An Outside Chance” by Bob White

“An Outside Chance,” oil on stretched canvas
by Bob White

Editor’s note: Here’s another installment of a new series on angling art. We’ll try to post a new painting, drawing, or sculpture every week. If you have any suggestions for artists we might feature, let us know below.

I’ve been friends with Minnesota-based artist Bob White since we first met at a benefit fly-fishing event for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in 2007, but I’ve been a fan of his artwork for much longer than that. For instance, he did the wonderful illustrations for Tom Rosenbauer’s The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide. He’s more than just an artist, though: he’s a real-deal sportsman and angler. Bob guided fly fishers in Alaska and Argentina for many years, and he continues to lead groups of anglers to far-flung destinations. Here’s what he had to say about this painting:

An Outside Chance” was painted to illustrate John Gierach’s closing column in “Fly Rod & Reel” magazine. Near the end of his essay, John wrote, “Tom McGuane once said that all time in the wilderness prepares you for is more time in the wilderness.”
I happened to be reading McGuane’s book, at the time, and I thought it no mere coincidence that the painting seemed to embody the sentiment of the book. In my mind, I had no option but to use the same title for my painting.
Here’s what comes to mind when I go into this image, “A peculiar and pervasive kind of quiet envelops a stream on foggy mornings. It’s a fine time to have a meaningful conversation with oneself.”