Brian Fisher Print, Paint and Sculpture Blog

May 3 to June 1,  2013, Roby King Galleries of Bainbridge Island will exhibit the Paintings of Martha Brouwer and Rust Monoprints by Brian Fisher. Gull Descending, 18x11 in. I am honored to exhibit with Martha Brouwer and thank Andrea and Wes, the owners of Roby King Galleries, for the opportunity to exhibit my new rust work. Martha describes her work:  "My design skills and my interest in patterns and textures are reflected in my approach. I enjoy layering different media to accomplish depth of tone and meaning."  When thinking of her subject she says: "My paintings celebrate the interconnected of all life -  the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, humans. These connections imply a responsibility for caring for each other and sharing the planet.”  www.marthabrouwer.com Sowing the Dragon's Teeth, 14x14 ln. I also embrace the importance of caring connection to the world around us and revere the human past that defines us.  Much of my imagery is

The Vashon Allied Arts retail gallery, the Heron's Nest, is reopening after an extensive remodel April 5th and on Vashon's First Friday Art Walk.  Earlier today I dropped off art and art cards. Here are some of my HepCat Club boxed  card sets they will be selling. The images were inspired by jazz and bebop musicians like Oscar Pettiford, Herbie Mann, Carlos "Patato" Valdes, Lester Young, and Joe "King" Oliver. I grew up listening to King Oliver.  My Grandpa Ed had a great Victrola in his billiard room.  While we grand kids abused his pool table we would listen to records like Wille, the Weeper.

This year I have been printing about, painting, carving and thinking about "center" as concept and source for imagery.  This is not a new subject for me to explore but a recognition that all of the stories I am drawn to, make art about, have at core the search for center.  Within mythic story, center is generally a tribally circumscribed place, a point of connection between sky and earth where cardinal directions meet.  Whether that center be Delphi or Delos, the Temple Mount or the Black Hills, it is the same symbolic center.  It might be called Omphalos or Axis Mundi, Bindu or Bethyle  but details and superficial observations aside it functions as the still point from which all objective reality is a manifestation. Spiritually it is the point we search from and for which we search. My image “Center” is a mixed media bas-relief, 13 x 10 in.

I just returned from a nice First Friday night out on Vashon.  Bergamot Studio's themed show is White on White this month and I was delighted to have three mixed media collages included in the exhibit.  Above and at center are "The Challenge," "Threshold Guardians" and "Center." Each represents an aspect of the Hero's Journey.

Dear friends, family and all of you that found your way to my studio for the first time on the Vashon Island 2012 Holiday Studio Tour, Thank You!  I always enjoy seeing everyone and this year so many new people found their way to my studio door.  Aki, our Shiba Inu, spends a lot of creative time with me.  This year she was the official, sometimes vocal, greeter of guests during the tour.  Typical of the breed, she has opinions about everything and everyone.  I know she enjoyed the tour as much as I did and is missing the attention.  Thanks so much and come again!

Weekend two of the Vashon Holiday Studio Tour promises to be a little drier.  We had a great first weekend in spite of the rain.  Thank you friends and patrons for stopping in to see what was new.  I had many questions about my new Rust Prints and rust process.  The photo below features a few of those.

Cabeiri Rites, Rust Print, 24 x 24 in. December 1-2 and 8-9 from 10am to 4 pm the artists of Vashon Island open their studio doors to share art and process with friends and patrons.  This year I am studio number 9 on the tour.  I always look forward to this event.  Here is a link to the Vashon Island Art Studio Tour Holiday 2012 lineup of studios. Cabeiri Rites is one of many new rust prints I will be showing for sale in addition to my other print, paint and assemblage work.