“Fish,” a 51-page photo book by UA junior Corbin Rouette, combines images of skateboarding, woodworking and family archives to explore grief, growth and his relationships with his father, friends and late mother. 

Rouette self-published the book on April 21, marking what would have been his mother’s 51st birthday.

“That’s why I have 51 copies, the book’s 51 pages—there’s a lot of elements within that,” he said.

“Fish” expresses Rouette’s love for skateboarding, woodworking and the “story of my dad and my mom and their lives– my mom dying and the feelings and emotions I’ve gained from losing my mom to cancer.”

He said it also reflects on friends he has lost to drugs and alcohol.

“It’s a visual communication of that through landscapes and through abstract portraiture,” he said.

Rouette began developing the book in the summer of 2024 after being inspired while doing sculptural work for class. The release includes “a steel wallet sculpture that goes with the photo book.”

“I had a lot of sculpting professors who helped me,” he said. “Trent Pechon, he’s my sculpture teacher now – he was really inspirational for the book.”

Rouette’s photos were taken at different times and locations over the past year and reflect a range of authentic moments.

“I have a camera around my neck most of the day when I’m hanging out with friends or doing whatever,” he said. “I document my life, and “Fish” is a collection of my life.”

The book came to life after hours of “sorting through thousands of images and ordering them to arrange a certain meaning or topic,” he said. “I was putting images together and I’m like, ‘Oh’ there’s a lot of fish here.’” 

Rouette hosted his first solo exhibition for “Fish” on April 19, curating an art gallery of photos from the book in his house alongside a barbecue in his neighbor’s backyard – celebrating the release over dinner.

In an Instagram post about the book, he said his life has changed dramatically since his mother died, but that he continues to honor her by doing the work he loves.

“I miss you Mom and I hope to make you proud,” he wrote.

So far Rouette has sold over thirty copies of the book and he said the reaction has been great.

“They all enjoy it,” he said of friends and others who’ve purchased the book. “It speaks to them about the relationship between my mother and explaining how I grew up and how I work in my world.”

Arizona native, Charles Ables, 66, attended Rouette’s exhibition and purchased a copy of “Fish.”

He described the book as “a simplistic, beautiful, deep story between (Rouette) and his mother.”

“His simplicity is what grabbed me. No words were needed,” Ables said.

Now, Rouette is working on his next project.

“I’m making a lot of pieces that are studying the connections with my father and his work – and how I’m becoming a woodworker and a furniture builder, just as he was,” he said.

His projects are “getting a lot more weird and making less, which is kind of fun,” he said.

To purchase a copy of “Fish” and stay up to date with Rouette’s photography and future projects, visit his Instagram.

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.