Under the Sink

Time seems to be flying. I think I missed my 10 year blog anniversary! Congratulations to me! I don't seem to be pushing on enough with my art as I would like to, so I am currently trying to re-navigate ways to do this. The prospect is a bit frightening, but maybe it is time to grow up and follow what I should be doing.

I've just started Project 2 of the Children's Book Illustration Course with the London Art College. My first project was pretty shocking I admit. I have been looking at the newsletter with other students work and getting inspiration and get up and go to do a better job this time around. Here are my initial doodlings.

The wasp landed in my bath this weekend and initially I was too freaked out to take it outside, but finally got the courage to do so. There was something immensely beautiful about it. After I took it outside I think it ended up dying. Rest in Peace dear Wasp.

K Fisher (2017), Doodlings 1 - Project 2 Children's Book Illustration

K Fisher (2017), Doodlings 2 - Project 2 Children's Book Illustration

Inner Cicadas

P J Fisher Final Instar

Recently I travelled to Devon with my friend Sarah and as I was reading a book that talked about your "Inner Cicadas", those bugs that chirp within when there is silence, we had a conversation about how to pronounce Cicadas. Her's was a posher way of saying than my Australian version! Interestingly enough, my mum and dad a week or so later came across some large cicadas in Victoria in Australia and my dad was inspired to make some digital art about these bugs. He sent them in an email to me (they are also on his website https://fortieschild.com) and I loved them so much I wanted to share them on my blog, together with a couple of his other pieces of work which I think are great. I haven't done much art myself lately with the festive season, but back into it today determined to finish my latest silver point piece. Also very excitingly, Rosemary and I had our first meeting today about our book collaboration. I am so looking forward to seeing what emerges!

P J Fisher Drummer Cicada

P J Fisher Nymph

P J Fisher Autumn Sky

P J Fisher Elijah and Elisha

The lion is not safe

K Fisher (2016), Program Cover design, Generation Edinburgh Dance Show [A5]

My Asiatic lion. My grumpy lion who turned his back and face to me for 3 hours. But then, his lioness started looking at me. His interest was piqued. I could see him begin to turn his shaggy maned face my way. At first, a little bit of a profile, then a huge yawn with his tongue lolling out, then a full turning of the head and direct eye to eye contact. Got you! I knew after 3 hours or more of lying down, he was going to have to get up and walk. I waited. Hoping, hoping, hoping. Just his face was not going to be enough. Up he gets, yes! And then I follow him with my camera, snapping every shot, not wanting to miss a movement. He's now in the shelter. I can just see his tail flaring about in the other room. Barely make out that he is rolling about on his back on the straw. Come on, stop hiding. Please come out. And then suddenly his big, perfectly made, furry face is staring straight out at me. Through the glass. I snap another shot. He immediately exits the shelter, he's roaring. So loud, such an incredibly deep roar, that when I dash out to the viewing platform, his roar is vibrating through the floor boards. I can see him through the cracks in the wooden boards under my feet. This lion is not safe. His power, the danger. I am safe only because of these boards, this fence, this glass. Majestic, glorious, beautiful, good even, but not safe. I get the message.

Pushing Out

Here is the work that I have submitted for the 119th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Scottish Artists 2016. It would be great to get shortlisted for the exhibition, but if I don't succeed, I will continue to work hard and try again next year!

My new project is a short-term one and is to design a cover for the year end show of my friend's dance school. Excellent excuse to be trawling youtube for videos of the world's best dancers, particularly break and robot.

K Fisher (2016) Pushing Out Egg tempera on canvas [100 x 100 cm]

K Fisher (2016) (Detail of) Pushing Out Egg tempera on canvas

Ever get the feeling someone is trying to tell you something?

On the way back from Glasgow on the train. Why does it always rain when I visit Glasgow? This is the first time I have blogged on mobile and the font looks massive on the screen so let's hope this works out.

The submission deadline for this painting is looming. I've got work to do on the final elements on the painting. I'm not even sure it will hold together in the end. This is the last bit of the medieval inspired elements. I feel slightly guilty that this was the first thing I found but it was also exactly what I wanted.

The other question I have, besides why does it always rain when I visit Glasgow, is do you ever think someone is trying to tell you something but you can't figure out exactly what they are trying to say? Or am I being too stubborn to admit I know what it means and I don't want to do what I'm told?

You know how the past couple of blogs I've been talking about boats and fish and images of Jesus calling the fishermen to follow him. And then I went to my dear friend Sarah's pop up create a sculpture event, which I think she did fabulous at, and I was looking around St Peter's church in Lutton Place and lo and behold I looked up and saw this.

Mmm, what am I meant to do with this recurring theme? Maybe in time my painting will tell me what this is about. Hopefully my next blog post you'll actually get to see it and you can tell me what you think!

Fish and the Medieval Bestiary

There is so much to discover today! I know so little about medieval art and there is so much to see. I have just discovered the existence of the Medieval Bestiary - a compendium of beasts.The Bestiary illustrated animals, birds and even rocks, usually accompanied by a moral lesson (per Wikipedia).

Alongside this I have found and only very much skimmed the surface of the British Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts and Kitab Aja'ib Al-Makhluqat Wa Gharaib Al-Mawjudat literally "The Wonders of Creation and the Curiosities of Existence" here. See below one of the pieces by the author, Abu Yahya Zakariya ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmud-al-Qazwini (ca. 1203-1283 CE), known as al-Qazwini.

These discoveries have resulted from my research on medieval fish images today. I am beginning to wonder if this burgeoning obsession with fish and boats derives from my surname Fisher and my peasant ancestry. Maybe I am trying to on some level trace my roots. I also came across this image and article A peasant is a peasant, is a peasant? : Medieval Maritime Peasant Lives on www.medievalists.net sourced from the paper by Maryanne Kowaleski, Professor of History and Medieval Studies at Fordham University.

To end today's blog, I have put a bit of a tongue-in-cheek humour from The Toast where two medieval monks invent bestiaries...

MONK #1: ugh sorry to bother you again

MONK #2: no no its fine

this is what i’m here for

what is it

MONK #1: what part of a goat is a snail again

like the front end or the back end

MONK #2: what part do you feel like should be the snail part

MONK #1: the back part?

MONK #2: you shouldnt doubt yourself

you know more about goats than you give yourself credit for

Stormy medieval boats

Duccio di Buoninsegna [1308-1311] Jesus calling Simon Peter and Andrew

Currently, the painting I am working on is a bit of a disaster. It seemed to be going okay until I kept working on the robin in the foreground, only to have it end up looking comical. After a while, I figured it was the wrong bird. Frustrated, I changed the bird. The bird still looks a bit comical but it's singing or is it singing a warning? This has changed the painting from me thinking about holding on in a difficult place to actually one of pushing out to help others in disaster. This seems a bit strange but if it is what the painting wants, I'll do my best to do it. 

Boats and stormy weather brings to my mind Jesus walking on the water towards his disciples. Together with my love of medieval art, this has led me to investigate images of medieval boats today. One article I read this morning in The pelican papers, had a humorous bit of text about Peter, the Rock or "Rocky" for short.  Peter takes a few steps walking on water to meet Jesus. Frightened by the wind and sinking into the waves, Rocky calls for help. Jesus pulls him out of the drink. And then, 

"What's the matter, O faithless one? Jesus says with a grin. Scared of a little wind, a big old fisherman like you? Why did you doubt?".

Ah, the eternal question from a God who likes to act in unfathomable ways. Why did you doubt? 

Well, these images here have given me a start to how I can work a medieval type boat into my painting. I thought I'd share the images with you so you can enjoy them like I have. I found the names difficult to trace on some, so I am sorry if there is no attribution to the original artist. I also highly recommend checking out the medieval ship models made by Tucho Fernandez Calo, which can be seen on his website. 

Jesus and Peter walking on water