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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Fishing for Art - A Visit to Brian Fisher's Vashon Island Studio

Saturday was (finally) a warm(er) and sunny day, perfect to be on a boat in the water.  In this case, the boat was a Washington State ferry and sailing time to nearby Vashon Island is only fifteen minutes, not nearly long enough to cast a line or net.  Besides, fishing from such a vessel seems to be frowned upon.

Fortunately the reason for our boat ride was not to catch dinner but rather to visit talented artist and friend, Brian Fisher and to enjoy some of his new work.   To see  a 2012 visit to this home and garden click here.  Much has happened in both Brian's garden and studio space since then and we'll see more of  the garden in a later post.  In addition, Quartermaster Press, a printmaking collective, is having a 25 year celebration and retrospective show at their new digs in the Vashon Center for the Arts  (There may have also been a couple of nursery visits involved.)


Speaking of new digs, Brian and Peter have added fabulous new buildings to house Brian's studio..







I'll shut up and let the work speak for itself. 

Sacred Circles are Brian's first foray into digital collage.  Please forgive the reflections.




Okay, here are a couple of older pieces  of which I'm particularly fond  "Of Cabbages and Kings."



"Communion" has lived in my home for several years now. 








One of  four pieces  which will be hanging in the Tacoma Art Museum in June.  



If you're looking for something interesting to do next weekend and aren't attending the garden blogging discussion that Alison and I are hosting at the Bellevue Botanical Garden, drop by Vashon Island's Collector's Conversation!




Brian was kind enough to supply the following images which are far superior to mine.


Satyr Play - Monotype Print

Salix, Monotype Print

The River of Forgetting  - Monotype Print with 24k gold leaf


Majorca, Sacred Circle, Digital Collage


Here's Brian demonstrating Collagraphy:




You may be wondering what our net pulled up on this Fisher outing  Mixed Myth - Watercolor

Want to see more of Brian's work?  Check out his website here and to personally visit his studio along with those of 25 other artists, plan on attending Vashon Island Visual Artists Spring Studio Tour, May 5-6 & 12 -13 10am to 5pm.

11 comments:

  1. What a fabulous space to work in. I particularly like the long narrow Maypole print. We have a lot of black and white and rusty art, but there are some lovely things in Brian's portfolio.

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    1. Brian did a lot of rust prints based on the Argonauts and the metal plates he used have been combined to create two glorious metal gates in his garden.

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  2. Thanks for showcasing Brian's wonderful art. There are some very interesting pieces here. I like the one of Theseus slaying the Minotaur, and that Majorca, Sacred Circle. I had no memory of your previous post about your visit so I went back to take a look. What a fab garden!

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  3. Vashon seems to offer all sorts of attractions. My husband and I REALLY need to pay a visit to his brother!

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    1. Oh yes Vashon is an amazing place with a very active arts community and a couple of outstanding nurseries to say nothing of the spectacular private gardens.

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  4. I can see why "Of Cabbages and Kings" is a favorite: a little gardening and lots of orange. I like it too. Looking forward to seeing the post about the garden.
    Is this the first time you mention the "garden blogging discussion that Alison and I are hosting at the Bellevue Botanical Garden"? Any more details?

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    1. Oh, forgot to mention it. Alison did a post about our blogging discussion here: http://bonneylassie.blogspot.com/2018/03/you-can-fly.html We'll lead a discussion about blogging and then guide participants through creating a blog using blogger and writing their first blog post. Saturday, April 28 10am - noon. Aaron Education Center at Bellevue Botanical Garden. Registration here http://northwestperennialalliance.org/classes_signup18.php

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  5. Thanks for the link back to the previous post of their garden. What a wonderful [lace to live and work.
    I like Brian's bold shapes and wonderful use of color.

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  6. Of what I have seen here I like the Cabbages and King best. I can't wait to see how the garden has changed since your 2012 visit. I must say this place was a labor of love for these men. What vision to see around and through all that junk.

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  7. Thanks for sharing this! I also vote for Cabbages and Kings as my favorite.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.