Brian Fisher Print, Paint and Sculpture Blog

William Stafford wrote one of my favorite poems about guiding vision called The Way It Is- Theseus.  Because I am who I am and love what I love and who I love his words always speak to me. Particularly now.  The Way It Is- Theseus There’s a thread you follow. It goes among 
 things that change. But it doesn’t change. 
 People wonder about what you are pursuing.
 You have to explain about the thread.
 But it is hard for others to see.
 While you hold it you can’t get lost.
 Tragedies happen; people get hurt
 or die; and you suffer and get old.
 Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
 You don’t ever let go of the thread. In this time of Covid-19, we seem caught up in a confounding labyrinth.  As individuals, municipalities and states, as countries and continents, the world seems lost but science is the thread.  Hold on tight to the facts. The image above is from my Sacred Circles Series called Knossos.  1/12, an original digital print.

Inspired by the trees and landscape around me, all seemingly illuminated from within.  This is "Seasons Change", 10 x 10 in. collograph print over wood panel. Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees. Faith Baldwin, American author.

"Cygnus", my Rust Monotype Print, will be in the Vashon Center for the Arts live auction, “Masquerade: A Midsummer’s Night Dream”, September 21, 6:45-8:45 pm .  Here's what the schedule looks like for this year's annual fundraiser.  Doors open at 5:30 pm at VCA, Vashon Island WA.   Live auction tickets are $50.   Silent Auction & Appetizers, 5:30-6:30 pm. Golden ticket raffle sales $100., (100 tickets only) for $2,500. towards an art purchase or a week in a Paris apartment. Live auction viewing while enjoying specialty cocktails, beer, wine and appetizers. Live auction, 6:45-8:45 pm.  “Cygnus” represents transformation and is a Rust Monotype with 24k gold on vintage linen mounted over a coped wooden panel.   My father’s voice first conjured the mythic stories of Ursa major and minor, the Pleiades, Andromeda and Cygnus into my consciousness while we lay on our backs in the grass of my grandparent’s Kansas f...

Ouroboros, monotype print, symbol of eternity. Ouroboros, the snake that swallows its tail, is emblematic of eternity.  He is the world serpent who circles the earth in his coils and represents the duality of existence and the eternal unity of all things.  As concept and symbol the Ouroboros exits in Egyptian and Greek myth, Christian Gnosticism and was a common myth of indigenous people of South America.

Kronos, painted steel Threshold Guardian, garden art. Thresholds are boundaries between worlds.  They are liminal because they are neither here nor there, in or out. They represent end and they are beginning.  They may exist as physical boundaries, the wood or stone lintel at your feet, but are also embodiment of the worlds where the unconscious and awakened consciousness meet. They are time out of time. Once upon a time I ran. I was fast enough to win some races.  What I remember best about those experiences were out of body movement towards a simple goal, a finish line. The guardian of the threshold was time himself. I have been working on new interpretations of personal threshold guardians.  Above is my take on Kronos, “Father Time” (watches and clocks were once called chronographs). Kronos is for me the running man, embodiment of the race, our dance in time and my own experience of timelessness. -->

Enki, The Great One.  Also known as Ea in Babylonian mythology, Enki is the Sumerian god of water, knowledge, mischief and creation.  He's part if my series about Babylonian sky maps.  Enki is a mixed media rust print over panel.

This is my monotype print "The Greening".  I'm working on other images, subjects, but the Green Man keeps appearing!  Obviously he is emblematic of - A New Green Deal   If we are to have a future it is imperative that we focus on mitigation of human impact on Earth's climate. Make Earth Green Again, MEGA!

June, 2019, VIVA presents an all member show at the Hardware Store Restaurant , Vashon, WA.  Opening night- June 7th from 6-9 pm.  My mixed media rust print image in this venue is Ninmah, “The Mother” from my series about Babylonian sky maps.  Ninmah had many names, as old gods and goddesses often do.  Some of her names are Ninmah, (Great Queen), Nintu, (Lady of Birth), Mamma or Mami, (Mother) and Aruru (Lady of the Gods).  

Vashon artists participating in the 2019 Spring VIVA Studio Tour are prepping their art studios and finishing work to sell Sat-Sun, May 4-5 & 11-12, 2019 from 10am-5pm.  If you live on Vashon this event is free!  If not, for the price of a ferryboat ticket, you will find 33 studios and galleries displaying inspiring work from over 100 Vashon Island artists.  This year Brian Fisher Studio is #16. Link to the VIVA art map and preview all the studios you will want to see. Above is Notre Dame, 1/12, an original digital print from my growing series exploring sacred place and circle.

The River of Forgetting, Monotype print with 24k gold leaf by Brian Fisher  (22 1/2 x 29 in. ) In early Greek myth, Lethe was one of five rivers that flowed through the subterranean kingdom of Hades.  Souls who passed into Hades had need to forget the suffering they had endured, or perhaps, the torment they had inflicted.  So, if a soul were ever to achieve peace and reincarnate, that soul would drink from Lethe, the River of Forgetting and be cleansed of memory.    My original print, "The River of Forgetting" will be on display during the VIVA Holiday Art Studio Tour, the first two weekends in December 1-2 & 8-9, Saturday & Sunday from 10am-4pm.  Maps are available at Vashon Island businesses and online at VIVArtists .

In early Greek myth, Lethe was one of five rivers that flowed through the subterranean Kingdom of Hades.  Souls who passed into Hades had need to forget the suffering they had endured, or perhaps, the torment they had inflicted.  So, if a soul were ever to achieve peace and reincarnate, that soul could drink from Lethe, the River of Forgetting and be cleansed of memory.    Check out "Lethe and the River of Forgetting" now and during the VIVA Holiday Art Studio Tour at Gather Vashon Gallery, 17600 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon, WA 98070 .