The Artistic flies of Mark Romero

[willowhead]

Thankx Kelly.....you have the honor of starting off the 100th page to this thread. ....."Something ELSE!".....
dang good thing i have several vises........cause this dang thing was in the vise for 5 or 6 days, start to finish.....gotta be a record. Was a lotta fun though.................just totally takin' my time and thinkin' it completely thru............shame you can really see the details well in these pics. The collar is so much more distinctive, etc., etc. in hand. But no biggie.......
Time to hunt up what's gonna be next. And Kelly........let's see you put somethin' up at the Steelie/Salmon Flymphs thread, asap. i know i sent you plenty of hooks you can use for that.

[Kelly L.]

LOL...I know you have. But I am not sure what a salmon/spey flymph would look like. You start it off, and it will give me ideas to go from there. My mind is still stuck on nymphs lately. Plus I need to tie a Rangeley Streamer before I get out of practice. I saw that 100 on there, as I clicked on this thread. Super cool there Mark!! Congrats!

[willowhead]

i've done three so far for this thread............just haven't got any pics taken yet...........but soon. i'm gettin' ready to paint a hook right now (purple)..........for the next JazzFly..... hehehehehehehe..... ..... ..... .....

[willowhead]

4:19 a.m. and the fly is finished..............i went w/purple & green........."a funny thing happened, on the way to the gig" though......... i didn't notice that i'd forgot to put the tag on until AFTER i had already clued the bead in place................. ............. ......oh well.....never mind. Bleep happens.........i think the world is still spinnin'................ Just gad it got it finished (well, only one "coat" is on so far), in a single eve.
There's three feathers in the collar..........two purple dyed White Eared Pheasant and a green burnt Spey........eye is the antique Violin string gut again, as it almost always is when i use an Alex Hayes hook. Tail feathers are off a dyed purple Silver Pheasent skin.......wing is purple rooster feathers with two J.C. feathers (nails) for shoulders/cheeks on each side........Butt is purple Troutsman dubbing.....can't remember for certain where i got the bead.....Colorado i think.........body is purple MoHair seriously picked out, and i used two different green UTC braids and a double strand of purple Montana Fly Midge Thread (all four strands twisted together & wraped), for the ribbing.
i'll call it the Purpley Passionet Green Winnie..........

[tie2fish]

I'd say the wait for the pic was well worth it -- this is a Herculean effort, Mark. The back half is a work of art by itself, and the "with flash" photo version shows off the amazing thorax area to its full advantage. BTW, I think Vicki's "Show Girl at the Oasis" name suggestion really fits well. And just out of curiosity, what do you ask for a fly like this if someone wanted to own it?

[willowhead]

Thank you Bill.....and actually i agree that Vicki came up with a pretty good name there. Although if your thinking were to go in that direction, "Belly Dancer" alone (if you know the lyric), would surfice. i wish you could realy see the fly well.........that thorax area kills. And the bead (which cost me $35), is so much more amazing than the pic shows by far. Also the collar is on another level than this pic shows................but anyway. $300 for the fly unframed, $400 framed. i've never framed one like this.........."like this" meaning, one which has such radical three deminsionalisum. It would be best in a dome, cube, or whatever. Ya wanna be able to see it from all sides. i'd have to go with that opinion with most all of my BIG flies.

[fly_fischa]

I love the look of this one Mark, it's very sculptural and the hook is psychedelic!

[willowhead]

Tkx. Kars........yes, sculpting is all part of the concept. Hey, don't forget to post those fish porn pics on the photos page.

[willowhead]

Kars.......all along the way, in building a fly of this (the above), nature.....there is a series of decisions to make bout what to add or not............which, is the same thing as how much to take away or leave.........so it is exactly the same as sculpting. One is not always completely happy with every decision........but once made.........that's it........i don't chop flies and go back and re-do them............i will occassionally make a change...............but it is VERY rare. Once the notes are outta the horn.....you can't stuff 'em back inside, and pretend you never played them.You simply use the experience to do better another time.

[willowhead]

Next fly.....(hadda put 5 or 6 coats on this puppy's head [good little doggie ] to get it right).....commin' up later today. The name of the fly is Passionately Purple, Green With Envy. damn.......thass awfully long winded....... maybe i'll think of somethin' Mo better......... later.