Brian Fisher Print, Paint and Sculpture Blog

Zetos I am working on compositions based upon the subject of " Journey," specifically “The Argonautika”  and the mythic story of Jason and  his quest for the Golden Fleece.   It is an old, old, (really old), hero’s journey.  Older even than Homer’s Iliad, wherein the Argos and its’ many heroes are referred. Through millennium the Argosy and the Argonauts have become synonymous with adventure, discovery and in our present age name pervasive to every product and service one might imagine.  Just Google Argosy and you will currently see (about) 8,000,000 results.  I find that remarkable, daunting and relevant to why Jason's mythic quest is still potent.  “The Argonauticka” is a classic tale of betrayal, vengeance and like many Greek myths has a tragic ending.  It is a story of group dynamics (a crew of 50 heroes), about stretching geographical boundaries and like every important myth it also explores the very huma...

George Wright, sculpture and director of The Heron's Nest Gallery on Vashon Island invited me to create work for a self portrait exhibition at the gallery this month.  Above is my contribution, "Back to Back, They Faced Each Other" an 8 x10 x 2 inch Monotype print, portrait, mounted to a wood panel box. The show is quite fun and a bit of a challenge to identify fellow artists and friends. Here is a link to The Heron’s Nest .  Stop by when you have a chance.

Morning, Monotype/Collage 26"x 20" Robi King Galleries on Bainbridge Island has selected  Americana as subject and tittle for its' July Exhibition.  Above and below are three Monotype/Collages that will be my contribution to the exhibit.  
Each image was created with 40‘s family ephemera; cards and letters from my Aunts, Grandmother and Great Grandmother, written to and about my brother Harvey in the late 1940‘s and are the foundation imagery for my Monotype print process.  Americana will be on display from July 1-30, 2011. Noon, Monotype/Collage 26"x 20" Night, Monotype/Collage 26"x 20"

In May Valise Gallery on Vashon chose censorship as subject and invited the community to respond and participate in their exhibit titled “The Elephant in the Room.” It was an interesting and thought provoking show.  Here is the image I selected to exhibit and it’s written explanation as it appeared at Valise. Monotype/Collage 30 x 22.5 in. After 9-11 and the subsequent lead up to the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq we were bombarded by euphemisms to sell and provide cover for war.  Preemptive War, promoting a war to prevent war is a good example, as is Collateral Damage, people killed in military actions who were not the intended target. How about Enhanced Interrogation? I mean torture.  This kind of verbal misdirection as practiced by Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice, besides being distortion of truth, lead to congressional censorship of individuals and of sovereign nations.  Hear Only, See Only, Speak On...

Above and below are images of my " Threshold Guardians ,” art made for the garden, personifying adventure, edges and boundaries.    Those above also double as stakes for your/my lilllies when gravity is just too much! Inside my studio and outside in the garden I have had wonderful conversations around art and garden this past weekend and look forward to the next Saturday and Sunday (May 14-15) of the Vashon Island Spring Studio Tour .  I hope you can stop in!

Today, at least on Vashon Island, it feels like we are at the threshold of a new season.  It has been a cold Winter, a wet spring and a very long time since I have anticipated Summer so much.   How much?  Enough to inspire art and personify a season.  Above is my Monotype print with gold leaf that I call Summer Breeze .  It is an image about time, accumulated memories of Summer and the associated pleasures that sunshine brings.   Tomorrow I am framing it, the last of the monotype work made for the 2011 Spring, Vashon Island Art Studio Tour , May 7-8 & 14-15, but I am still working on “Natures Priest” an oil painting and finishing my cut steel “Threshold Guardians,” art made for the garden, personifying adventure, edges and boundaries.    My Monotype with Gold Leaf, Summer Breeze is 9 x 22 in.

In addition to the upcoming (May) Spring Vashon Artist Studio Tour I will also be showing on Bainbridge Island with Roby King Gallery in their Streets, Roads, Paths, group exhibition.  The exhibit opens Friday May 6 and runs through the 28th.  New work I have created for this show expresses my pleasure in a daily routine; walking the dog.  At right is my Monotype, The Aki Walk.  Aki is my 15 month old Shiba Inu and with the advent of Spring the walk for her has become all about chasing Robins.  Bless whoever invented those spring loaded, self retracting dog leads! The format, technique and oblique perspective is intended to reference Japanese Art and Print.  Shiba Inu's are a Japanese dog breed. The Aki Walk is a Monotype Print with Gold Leaf and measures   24.25 x 7 in.