John Koch began drawing at the age of three, displaying artistic predilection before he could write or spell. “I have always been an artist,” Koch explains. “It’s part of my DNA.”

Growing up in west -central Wisconsin, Koch experimented with a multitude of different media under the encouragement and tutelage of both his sister and high school art teacher. After serving in the Marine Corps, Koch attended the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Art and Journalism.

After two decades of working in the creative departments of Cenex/Land ‘o’ Lakes and currently 3M Co., Koch started producing his sporting-orientated woodcuts and photography under the auspices of his Trout Lily Studios in 2003.  Since then, Koch’s work has been sought by a growing list of collectors.

Artists Statement:
"The places where trout are found and the mood they create are
foundations of my artwork. To me, fly fishing is a synthesis of my personal experiences — it provides me with the subject and images that inspire me and my materials and techniques."

"Reduction woodcut is an exacting process in which the artist uses only one block. The block is cut and used to print the first color; that same block is cut down (hence the term reduction woodcut) and used to print the second color over the first. The artist continues to cut andprint until all the colors have been printed. There is, however, no opportunity to go back to the first color, since the wood has long since been cut away."
— Washington Printmakers Gallery

John Koch
Trout Lily Studios
www.troutlillystudios.com