Brian Fisher Print, Paint and Sculpture Blog

"Nature Boy", Brian Fisher, Monotype Print with 24k gold leaf.       When I was young my Grandma Lula and I were big fans of Nat King Cole.  Whenever we listened to records (all the time) I asked that she play his soulful recording of "Nature Boy" over & over and yes... one more time please?  This green man image is one of several monotype prints inspired by Eden Ahbez's magical  words and Cole's rendition of "Nature Boy".  Listen to the link below. Nature Boy There was a boy A very strange enchanted boy They say he wandered very far, very far Over land and sea A little shy and sad of eye But very wise was he And then one day A magic day he passed my way And while we spoke of many things Fools and kings This he said to me The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to love and be loved in return The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to love and be loved in return Eden Ahbez

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.

The Goddess of Forgetting, Monotype Print by Brian Fisher "Long ago you kissed the names of the nine muses goodbye and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag, and even now as you memorize the order of the planets, something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps, the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay. Whatever it is you are struggling to remember, it is not poised on the tip of your tongue or even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen. It has floated away down a dark mythological river whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle." From the poem “Forgetfulness” and the book of poems - Questions About Angels, b y Billy Collins.

"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 farm, gazing up throug

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.

Expressions Northwest Exhibition.  David Sessions, Juror at Northwind Art Center, Port Townsend, Washington.  Aug.1 - Sept. 1.  Here are four of the five monotype prints I an fortunate to have in this thoughtful exhibit.

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!

VIVA, Vashon Island's Visual Artists organization, will be selling Garden Totems during  Vashon's Strawberry Festival this Saturday, Sunday July 20-2i1, 2019! Each one is unique and hand-crafted by Vashon Island artists. Proceeds go towards funding organizational projects, functions and VIVA Scholarships.  The Totems will sell for $175. each. Below is my contribution, Byzantium in Red! Come looks us over and check out our raffle too, booth A-19!  

I am posting a few images from the Vashon Heritage Museum's opening of "In and Out, Being LGBTQ on Vashon Island", June 7, 2019!  The exhibit will run though March of 2020. Deb Phillimore, Ellen Kritsman. Stephen Sila, Jesica De Wire, Bruce Haulman and the inspired advisory board they assembled have created a very special and colorful exhibit. Here are some photos from the opening night - wall to wall people having fun, celebrating Vashon Island and the many worlds that collide to make this island truly unique! Thank you Stephen Sila for inviting me to create the print and sculpture window installations for this Vashon Heritage Museum exhibition and to be a part of this celebration!  

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).