Exhibition news
My painting "Still Water" has been accepted at the 2008 Royal West of England Academy Autumn Exhibition
I was recently interviewed by Mark Adler of the Mendip Times for the July issue of the magazine:
David Fisher’s paintings have been seen by millions of travellers on England’s motorways, probably without many realising what they were looking at. And thousands of people on the Mendips - and further afield - have raised a glass beneath his works of art.
If a lack of recognition is the fate of many a commercial artist, then David does not seem to mind too much; it ’s given him 25 years of experience which he is now using to good effect in another field - as an award-winning fine artist.
David spent years painting murals for motorway service stations up and down the country; in the 1980s and early 90s, Trust House Forte commissioned David to give the bland (he describes them as "dreadful") complexes some local character.
Visit Sedgemoor Services on the M5 and you can still see his mural of the Pitchfork Rebellion. Sadly, many similar murals up and down the country have disappeared, some beneath layers of paint; others have been completely removed. David said: "It saddens me more to learn about the murals which have gone forever than ones which have been covered up; there is always the chance they will be rediscovered." David, who lives in a house-cum-gallery-cum-studio in Midsomer Norton, had earlier found work closer to home. Courage Brewery commissioned him to paint pub signs as did Butcombe Brewery, under the leadership of then-owner Simon Whitmore.
But the lesson David learnt was that historical research became paramount. Having trained as a signwriter, he decided to change direction when the commercial work dried up. He explained: "I still had to earn a living but didn’t want to turn my back on painting. For years I had been following a specific brief, but decided I wanted to do my own thing."
That has made him one of the most popular and sought-after artists on the Mendips. His painting of a ship - the Grand Turk - brought him his 8th success at the Royal Bath and West Show for Most Popular Picture in the Art Show, voted for by the public. David said: "I take a lot of strength from that. Knowing the public like me is far more important than any recognition from the art establishment."
The ironing board that serves as a table in David’s studio is testament to the amount of research that goes into each painting, particularly those with a transport theme. It groans with locomotive books, magazines and fashion photos to ensure that historical paintings are absolutely correct.
The photos are a clue to David’s passion for accuracy but also for emotion. His latest work - still untitled - tells the story of family days out to Bournemouth, catching a train from Midsomer Norton station - now home to the Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust . The photos show David with his parents and other members of his family and he has gone to extraordinary lengths to capture the memories of the mid-1950s.
"I persuaded my son and grandchildren to pose for me for photos out at Holcombe where I found a slope with exactly the same incline I needed to recreate the road to the station. The road has changed since and I can’t just work from memory.
"Accuracy is paramount in my mind. I have to torment the paint to get the details just right." The strive for accuracy should lead to further recognition. David is building up a body of railway-related work to apply for membership of the prestigious Guild of Railway Artists. This is not just for trainspotters - the Guild attracts fans such as musician Jools Holland and Guild members can expect to sell works for thousands of pounds.
*David is a key member of the Old Bakery Artists Group, set up by North East Somerset Arts to encourage artists in Radstock, Midsomer Norton and surrounding areas. The OBA group is holds a biennial exhibition at around a dozen venues, including David’s home (The Hole in the Wall) each September. For more information on the group, please contact secretary Peter Kirkland on 01761 434428.
Interview and photograph by Mark Adler / Mendip Times. Reproduced by kind permission.