An exhibit opened yesterday in the DVC art gallery featuring the work of Jane Fisher, a professor of drawing and painting who recently joined the art department.
Fisher’s collection in the gallery is titled Fur, Fish and Game, which, Fisher says, is the title of a sportsman’s magazine she remembers seeing during her childhood.
As she prepared for her work, she explains, the title of the publication frequently came to mind.
“The ‘fur,'” Fisher said in an email interview, “refers to the surface textures of many of the things I paint. ‘Fish’ is a reference to my name and one of my ongoing preoccupations in terms of subject matter.”
The last part of the title refers more to Fisher’s view of people than a specific element of the show and hints at the nature of her personality.
“‘Game’ describes an attitude I admire in people,” she says.
The exhibit is the second show in the gallery of the spring semester, and it will act as an introduction to Jane Fisher, who is new to DVC but has been showing her art in public since 1984.
Fisher’s collection features pieces in different painting mediums, her preference being oil paint. She has included a variety of water-based pigments, however, which, she says, helps her to consider the bridge between sketches and paintings.
The earliest piece in the collection, Fisher said in an e-mail interview, is one inspired by a trip she took to Bali, Indonesia, in 1995.
“I recently traveled to the Philippines,” she said, “and was often reminded of this painting.”
Within her work as a whole, Fisher has included portraits of people and animals, still lifes, scenes from hotels and interiors, and scenes from events such as fairs.
As a teacher, Fisher hopes to pass on to her students a love of learning.
“I hope that upon viewing the show,” Fisher said, “students will see that with an understanding of the fundamentals, an artist is not limited. The possibilities are endless. I want to convey to my students that the more they learn, the more options they have and that learning never stops.”
The exhibit will be in the gallery, which is open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., until April 2.