The John D. Voelker Foundation will benefit from an art print featuring the Judge’s famous essay, Testament of a Fisherman. Digital artist and Voelker fan Lee VandenBerg introduced the print Tribute to the Judge at auction on eBay today, October 15, 2003. VandenBerg will share profits generated from sales of the print equally with the Foundation.
Established in 1989, the John D. Voelker Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to pay tribute to the values exemplified in the life and writings of John Voelker / a.k.a. Robert Traver, passionate fly fisher and former Michigan state supreme court justice. Voelker/Traver wrote several novels —notably Anatomy of a Murder which was made into the first-run movie starring James Stewart. Another novel, Laughing Whitefish was based on an actual court case involving the legal battle to establish property rights of a Native American. In the spirit inspired by that story, the John D. Voelker Foundation provides scholarships to Native Americans wishing to attend law school. The Foundation also sponsors the annual “Robert Traver Fly Fishing Fiction Award” writing competition.
In the print Tribute to the Judge, Voelker’s essay is artistically composed with VandenBerg’s original photograph of a well-worn fly hat and rod & reel. Deep tobacco tones combine with classic lighting to softly mold the hat, and evokes a warm glow — not unlike “bourbon out of an old tin cup.” High resolution micro piezo imaging techniques using highest quality archival inks create color reproduction clarity not available through conventional photographic or lithographic processes.
Two prints — one numbered “1/25” from a custom framed, fine canvas edition of just 25, image size 22 X 28 inches; and a second numbered “1/250” from an unframed, acid-free premium art paper edition of 250, size 16 X 20 inches — are bing offered in separate ebay auctions (items #3558098254 and #3558101203) to introduce the image to the public. At the close of both auctions, canvas prints numbered 2 through 25, and paper prints 2 through 250 will be available at fixed prices. Wholesale pricing will be available in some areas.
