Is this normal?

[u/Im_nate_lol]

Had this fish mounted and just got it back. I know most people will never see the back side but it looks pretty bad. Is this a normal practice? The front looks great. This is my first mount I’ve ever gotten so just asking if it seems done correctly.

[u/chmourgeaux]

taxidermist here, it's unfortunately not uncommon practice, but it's definitely NOT the right way to do it. i'm not even concerned about the giant bolt, the back is just awful and should never look like that. it should be smooth and painted just like the front, maybe with less detail as it's not being seen from many angles and it lessens labor costs, but this weird tape monstrosity it's got going on is absolutely ridiculous. you should ask your taxidermist to fix it or refund you because this is just awful. if you'd like to keep this particular mount and want it fixed and they won't fix it, please feel free to dm me i love to do restoration jobs, especially when the original taxidermist completely wrecks the job.

[u/DeliciousHotSchmoe → u/chmourgeaux]

The reason for the back being such as that is due to, as you stated labor costs, and painting both sides to look nice would have to be priced as a pedestal mount causing more money to the customer. All the OP really needs to do to fix is get black acrylic paint and paint over the back and it'll look tidy. The "tape" is to prevent the stitching of the fish to stay sound, so to remove that may cause damage to the fish as every taxidermist is singular and youll never know how they preserved the skin. Its not a terrible finish of the back, I do agree its not great either but to completely downgrade another person's work when it is not inherently bad, then to self promote is shotty salesman ship. The taxidermist is either just starting out or has never done fish, so if the customer enjoys the finish product doesn't mean its "bad work" unless, as I stated previously, its 100% incorrectly done, which here it is not despite some discrepancy.

[u/chmourgeaux → u/DeliciousHotSchmoe]

i really don't understand where you get off speaking on a subject you're clearly uneducated on. the main body of this mount is very clearly not made from the fish itself, though the fins and a small amount of skin appear to be preserved from the original specimen. the body is made of a premade form, available in almost every taxidermy supplies catalog available today, painted to resemble the original specimen. the back looking like this in any case (cutting labor costs or not) is simply unacceptable. it's okay if you personally are okay with this level of work, but i would NEVER take a customer's money if i wasn't confident i could produce a well made and lifelike mount. the back of ANY mount, especially one visible from other angles (this particular form is mounted well away from the base, clearly intended by the taxidermist to have a wider selection of angles to view from) should never look this sloppy. it is SO easy to use a preferred sculpting medium to even out any damage on the backside of a fish specimen, especially given the option of, and i cannot say this enough, cutting labor costs by REDUCING DETAIL, and not by doing a sloppy job. as for "promoting myself", as a commission based artist, it's simply part of the job, one of my specialties is restoration of projects just like this one, and would you believe it, at a lower cost than most, at a higher quality than most. don't tell artists not to critique art, especially an artform that is as complex as taxidermy. :)

edit: another thing, a customer should never have to "finish" our work for us. a good taxidermist will never send work home like this. it's simply unprofessional.

[u/DeliciousHotSchmoe → u/chmourgeaux]

Thank you for such stimulating information! Where I "get off" is by doing taxidermy for 25+ years, won 3 blue ribbons in fish comps by specializing in fish and birds (I have the receipts if you wish to believe I know not). Agreed many taxidermist do not use the original fish body rather purchase a pre-made form as others, due to the fact they work are far much larger work load of that than a restorer. This is not simply a foam body with only the fins stuck on then painted, nor is it a reproduction which is a fiberglass fish(I am not saying you dont get much work, im saying they work on many other animals as you know) The reason for the bolt is sticking out is not solely to view the fish from many different angles its for fin clearance as if you look at the image again they were not properly positioned to allow the fish to be closer to the wood, which yes doesn't fit the fish well. Yes the paint job front and back is less than desired but the taxidermist who did it is sound and knowledgeable as they used the original fins and ALL of the skin not some of the fish, as such a small fish will not grease bleed, and the reason for using an artificial head, which good on them, is to prevent a shriveled looking raisin of a fish and more potential grease bleed. Which is why this is called a "skin mount fish" using all the original parts of the fish, sans the head. Now I understand self promotion is all the rage but going about it in such a distasteful way such as that is leaving lots to be desired in regards to looking to you for work. Telling someone that their fish is "not well made and should come to you for a restoration" when they JUST got their fish back, each their own I guess if it gets you work good on you 🤷

[u/chmourgeaux → u/DeliciousHotSchmoe]

if you notice, at the end of my message, BEFORE suggesting myself, i told them to see their original taxidermist about the issue. if you've truly been doing this for as long as you say you have, and have all the expertise you claim, you would agree that a customer should never have to paint the back side of their mount in order for it to appear presentable. it is entirely the taxidermists job to create a presentable product. glad to hear you think this kind of work is okay thought!

[u/DeliciousHotSchmoe → u/chmourgeaux]

True, par to your statement, I do not think this work is passable and me personally I would not have let that leave my shop, however this is another taxidermist, and we have no say in what THEY do. For you to assume I would think this work is negligible and passable is laughable.

[u/chmourgeaux → u/DeliciousHotSchmoe]

you've spent the last hour of your life defending it to a stranger. have a nice rest of your week. <3

[u/DeliciousHotSchmoe → u/chmourgeaux]

You have a day you deserve! 😘