Silverpoint

I have finally arrived back in Perth, Australia for 2 months after much ado. It's a bit of an adjustment coming from pitch black in the mornings in Scotland to sunshine coming in the window at 4.30am. The weather was perfect the day I arrived - a breezy 27 degrees. Things are now warming up to what they usually are about this time of year. Hot! I've been having a nice time seeing family and watching Tudor Monastery Farm during the day and detective shows in the evening with my parents. I think I may be beginning to become annoying as I imitate Inspector Montalbano's Italian accent and gestures and use the same Mr Fartone joke again and again!

The past few months have been busy with other work so I have only been managing to get into the studio for a few hours each week. Below is my first experiment with silverpoint on a gesso wood panel. I tried shaving coloured pastels and then painting them on lightly. I had to rub most of it off as even a little colour was quite overwhelming. Little did I know I would also rub off half the silverpoint! I kept reading how silverpoint was very difficult to remove once on. So either I didn't apply the ground properly, which I have remedied for the next piece, or it is in fact possible to remove silverpoint and adjust as I go.

K Fisher (2015) Parable Silverpoint on Gesso panel [8" x 8"]

Straffe Artists Contest Edition 2015

Last week I finally finished my painting for the Straffe Artists Contest Edition 2015 (below). I am reasonably pleased with it, except I think there are a couple of things in it that aren't painted as well as I would have liked them to be, such as the text and the 3D of the bottles. These items I definitely need to work on going forward. I am quite happy with the wolf though, as I have struggled in the past to bring animals into a painting and make them look like a concrete part of the whole and I feel that I've finally succeeded with this. If you like my painting, please vote for me by 15 September at http://www.straffeartists.be/gallery.php

K Fisher (2015) De Halve Maan talks Wild [Egg tempera on canvas 1m x 1m]

I've also put a screen shot of the gallery screen so I can keep it for future reference.

A little done...a lot more to do

I am super grateful for all the amazing friends I have. A couple of weeks ago, one of my friend's got free tickets to the Charles Avery talk at Ingleby Gallery. 

Charles Avery - Ingleby Gallery Postcard (Exhibition 29 Jul - 30 October 2015)

Both of us love Avery's work and to have the opportunity to hear him talk about it was fantastic. Obviously a very intelligent and talented artist. To top it off, we then meandered to Waverley Train Station to see his public artwork. Here is an article about the work that my sister happened to send to me a few days ago http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/what-s-on/alien-tree-for-waverley-during-edinburgh-art-festival-1-3843811

Ashamedly, I confess that I interpreted his 'alien tree' as a massive shower, due to the 'strange fruit' appearing like big rotating shower heads and what I took for streams of coloured water. My friend immediately understood it was an 'alien tree' and this week we got to talking whether the Tree of Gondor from Lord of the Rings or the tree in Avatar may have wound its way into the artist's subconscious. 

I also joyfully confess, that while it was a bit naughty of us, we went to another excellent exhibition in Trinity Apse which while it said 'no public access' there were lots of people milling around and free cake, so we thought it was okay to go in. Banana cake superb!

There is just less than 3 weeks to go until my Straffe Hendrik competition painting needs to be submitted. I have finally done the underpainting and am quite worried about painting the text and whether the branding is obvious enough. To be that precise and fine, is going to be a true challenge for me. I can't give you the design yet as that would be telling, but here is a little excerpt of a research photo...who/what could it be of..? 

K Fisher (2015) Straffe Hendrik Research Photo

In the studio at last!

At last! This is my official first day in the studio. I feel like it's the first day of school with knowing hardly anyone and everything being shiny new and clean. I don't think that will last long and to be honest I'd like to get some things on the walls. Today I have started to work on my idea for the Straffe Artists Competition 2015. I couldn't source the beer in Edinburgh so I have ordered my Straffe Hendrik Wild, Tripel and Heritage Oak Aged Quadrupel online. Ah, the Quadrupel is 11% so I think I might have to get someone to test share it with me!

Other news of the week is that last Friday evening the sun was shining and I had finished work early so I went for a late afternoon stroll. And this is what I found...

I am very excited that good quality street art has started appearing in my neighbourhood - so a massive thank you to the artist for making this dingy part of the road much more lively. I am hoping more of these beauties will pop up.

Okay, well best go back to the beer ideas...

Birdies

I have been taking a lot of photos of little birds lately. Of Robins, Grey Wagtails, Blue Tits and a few others I have yet to identify. I am always amazed that such little fragile beautiful creatures can be born/hatched, learn to fly, survive and flourish. The Robin I have seen a lot on one of my many walks probably will not be alive next year and it will be another Robin I see. The surprise and joy I felt at seeing a little Blue Tit build it's nest in a car park light pole. How is it even able to put it together in this small space? Watching a grey wagtail bob up and down on the loch's shore. What a miracle that it can even concentrate on finding something to eat with all that tail movement going on. I think fragility is going to be a focus in my art this year. I got an email about my fees the other day and to be honest, even though I knew it was coming, I'm really thinking at this stage I can't afford to go back to uni and I am not sure that I'm ready to get a studio yet. On a happy note, here are a few photos of the little birds I've seen.

K Fisher (2015) Robin St Margaret's Loch

K Fisher (2015) Grey Wagtail St Margaret's Loch

K Fisher (2015) Blue Tit Lochside Avenue

Jesus Loves Me Fine

Hello! I have been meaning to post something for months and months, but with working in order to try to save funds to go back to uni and not being so well the past couple of months, this is probably the first time that motivation to post has returned. I have been drawing again the past few weeks. In particular, a robin has caught my fancy. Most times when I take a seat near the place the robin hangs out, the little bird usually flitters down from somewhere, perches on the same rock and blinks at me in recognition. Well, I like to think we have a mutual appreciation/fascination with each other. 

A number of months ago I went to an exhibition of Tom Wilson's work at the Open Eye Gallery in Edinburgh. I really enjoyed his works which I think were witty and clever, together with being skillful and interesting in execution. I bought a small publication of his works at the gallery and the one below Jesus Loves Me Just Fine talked to me.  I had been thinking about doozers, as per my last post, and also about the gospel of John where Jesus says that he did not come to condemn the world but to save the world (be made safe and sound through him). That I'd been feeling judged for quite a while when actually Jesus gets it that I'm human and fall in puddles sometimes and loves me anyway.

So I hope it's okay I post Tom Wilson's work, because I think it's fabulous.

Tom Wilson (2006) Jesus Loves Me Just Fine (28 x 66 cm)

Other than that, I've been meaning to post this cartoon strip I did nearly a year ago at uni as part of a collaboration between Illustration and Painting Students at Edinburgh College of Art, UK and Students at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA, where we swapped narratives and illustrated the one received. The book Picture Stories (Spring 2014) was the end result, which is available on Lulu.com

K Fisher (2014) Battering Ram & Rotten Fin 23.62 x 29.43 cm