Festival Artist

Virginia Fly fishing Festival
Platinum & Gold Tier Sponsors:

Wildlife artist Alan Folger’s love affair with fly fishing began in 1959 on the banks of Spavinaw Creek, a little-known stream in northeastern Oklahoma. Since those halcyon days of his youth Folger has traveled and fished widely in the United States chasing everything from smallmouth bass to lunker trout whenever he has a chance. Folger strives to capture the essence of whatever he paints, and his ability to draw and paint is only exceeded by his ability to relate to everyday anglers and translate those experiences into his artwork.

Folger’s inspiration comes directly from the Book of Genesis: “And God said, Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky. So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems according to their own kind. And God saw that it was good…. And there was evening and there was morning—the fifth day” (Genesis 1:20-23). Folger’s philosophy is simple: “I try to honor and celebrate the fifth day.”

Alan Folger currently serves as Trout Unlimited’s national director of its Veterans Service Program, the main focus of which is to partner TU chapters with Project Healing Waters in areas of the country where no programs exist. Alan’s job–and his passion–is to bring the healing powers of fly fishing to those who have served our country. Having served as a veteran himself he empathizes with the special challenges that veterans face, and he’s determined to see them get the help they need while embracing the quiet sport of fly fishing.

Folger’s work is seen in homes and in private collections across the United States, and when he’s not sculpting or painting he’s chasing trout with a two-weight in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Alan and his wife Shirley have two grown daughters and two grandchildren.

If the name Alan Folger seems familiar to festivalgoers, it probably is: He was featured as our Festival Artist in 2009. Because of his passion for creation and all the mysteries that it holds and because he is able to communicate that passion to folks from every walk of life, the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival is pleased to honor Alan Folger again as the Festival Artist for 2012.

To read Folger’s informative blogs and or see his most recent handiwork with pen and brush, visit his website at www.clearwatermemories.com or his blog at
www.52trout.blogspot.com.

This piece was selected for use
on the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival's
T-Shirts and promotional poster.