Clay Carlson giclee prints of Historic Fishtown

Fishtown Preservation is proud to partner with Clay Carlson, of the Carlson family of Fishtown, in sharing his Fishtown-inspired work with the public, and that sale of the prints will help to benefit the work of Fishtown Preservation.

Clay working on the Joy

Clay Carlson has been painting scenes of Fishtown for more than 25 years, a subject he knows well. He is a 5th generation descendant of the Carlson family that homesteaded on North Manitou Island in the late 1800s and came to the mainland in 1906 to farm and fish. Clay spent 27 years experiencing the life of a commercial fisherman, working in Fishtown at the family fishery and on both the Joy and Janice Sue, the commercial fishing vessels featured in these paintings.

The historic core of Fishtown and the Joy and Janice Sue are now owned and cared for by the Fishtown Preservation Society. In honor of his heritage and appreciation for the ongoing work to preserve Fishtown, a vital part of his family legacy, Clay is donating 25% of each print of Joy and Janice Sue that is sold through the end of 2022 to Fishtown Preservation.

The acid-free prints are 18” x 24”, the same size as the original, and are perfect for framing. They are each of a limited run of 250, all signed and numbered. The giclee prints capture every shade and detail of the original works. The price is $125.00.

Clay at work in his studio

To order a print, please reach out to Clay directly via

Email: C3claymate@yahoo.com

Phone/text: 231-883-7009

Facebook Messenger: https://www.facebook.com/clay.carlson.5

Instagram DM: https://www.instagram.com/claycarlsonart/

To see more of Clay Carlson’s work, join his Facebook and Instagram pages, and you will see Fishtown’s past through the eyes of someone who is still deeply connected to this long fishing heritage. For more information about Clay, please see this recent article in the Glen Arbor Sun.