
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, August 1, 1994                   TAG: 9408240004
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

LOVE OF FISHING CAPTURED IN STAINED GLASS

Wesley Davis likes everything about saltwater angling: the sleek sport fishing boats with their deep-throated engines; the wind singing in the outriggers; the man-sized tackle.

But it was the incredible, cobalt-blue color of the Gulf Stream that impressed him most the first time he observed it on an offshore outing.

``Once you see it you never forget it,'' he said. ``You feel like the water was clear and someone dropped an indigo ink cartridge into it.''

All the better if the blueness is broken by the rush of a marlin glittering in the bright sunlight as it hurls itself into the air.

Although Salem is a long boat ride and even longer car ride from the Gulf Stream, visitors to the Custom Originals in Stained Glass shop on West Main Street can view a bit of that special blueness in some of the stained glass artwork by Davis.

``It is the love I have for the sport,'' he said.

Davis began working in stained glass about three years ago, specializing in nautical themes. He picked up the skill from his wife, Kathy, who has been designing artwork in stained glass since 1983.

Offshore fishing scenes are his favorite, even though his boyhood days often were spent bass fishing. He is the son of the late Grant Davis, one of the top bass fishermen in the region during the pre-tournament era.

``There is no freshwater fish that I've ever caught that can give you that thrill,'' Davis said, looking at a scene of a tuna in his shop.

Davis recently showed his work at the Big Rock Tournament at Morehead City, N.C. He is working on a piece scheduled to be shown at the Billfish Foundation awards dinner in late October at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

It will picture a 32-foot Luhrs tournament boat with a dolphin, yellowfin tuna and marlin leaping alongside it. Some aspects of the work, such the boat's rigging, will be three-dimensional. A close look will reveal a catch-and-release tag in the marlin.

The Billfish Foundation raises funds for the conservation of marlin and other billfish, Davis said.

``It is my chance to give a little something back and to make sure there will be something there for my children and their children,'' he said.

by CNB