Troutdale "Art Trout Project"
- seanrooney58
- Aug 18
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 20
Let’s Make Some Art Together!
Troutdale Community Art Project
Before there was a Cascadia Art(s) Association, local artists who were the organizers of Troutdale’s Fall Festival of Arts worked with ReClaim It for the Cracked Pots Reuse Art Show. Using recycled materials they developed the Art Trout Community Art Project. The focus of the program was to recycle materials into art that was created by the community.
This was a 2 year project where Troutdale’s mascot, the Trout, was the subject of the art. For the Cracked Pot Reuse Art Show was the 4-foot long trout to be painted by show participants. The form of the trout, made out of polystyrene foam, was made by Caswell Sculptures. The surface was covered with reused canvas and primed with Gesso. The “majestic” trout was ready for participants to paint using acrylic paints.
The Art Trout made many appearances throughout the area for Summer events. After each event a fresh coat of Gesso was applied and was ready for the next group of art enthusiasts to paint. Art Trout made 10 appearances before its “handlers” got tired of it. Art Trout is now comfortably resting in a garage waiting for its next incarnation, whatever it will be.
Best Dressed Trout Contest
The Best Dressed Trout Contest was part of the 2019 Fall Festival of the Arts. Recycled ground up polystyrene foam was mixed into plaster. Using molds made by Caswell Sculptures about (70) 12-inch trout were produced. Each trout was mounted on a recycled foam base and given a coat of Gesso.
The trout forms were sold throughout the area to “aspiring fashion design enthusiasts” with a simple instruction. “Dress your trout in whatever reused materials you want. Use fabrics, paint, beads, buttons, sequins, fake hair, anything. Give your trout a name and bring it to the Fall Festival of Arts to be judged by the festival visitors. The proceeds from the sales were used as the prize money for the winning trout.
At the festival 59 dressed trout contestants competed for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place Best Dressed Trout. Over 120 votes were submitted.
The winners were:
First Place - Geisha Trout
Second Place - Flotador(Floater) Trout
Third Place - Clown Trout
"School's In"
The final phase of the Art Trout Project was in 2021. For this project a single and very large drawing of a school of trout was printed onto a 3-foot by 6-foot canvas. The canvas was divided and cut into 36 individual panels. To ensure some consistency in color, each panel was printed with the desired color and with instructions on which colors to use.
The artist was instructed to use whatever medium they wanted to color in their panels. Once finished they were to bring them back to us where we would reassemble the panels. People used paint, colored pencils, 3-dimensional appliques, sequins, beads, and buttons.
Once the pieces were reassembled into one large piece, Donna Erwin of Columbia River Gallery fit it into a 3 foot by 6 foot frame. This masterpiece now hangs in the Troutdale Soda Shop for everyone to enjoy. Visit the soda shop and enjoy an ice cream or yummy treat and admire the skillful work of “School’s In”.
Share & Follow
For any inquiries, please contact:
Martha Denham
Cascadia Arts Association Facebook