David Fisher (artist) explained

David Fisher (1946 – 21 March 2013) was an award-winning English artist and designer based in Midsomer Norton, Somerset. He was a prolific designer and painter of pub signs before securing a unique commission to create vast murals to improve UK service stations. He has won many awards including the Holburne Museum of Art's portrait award. His work has been praised by Victoria Glendinning, Humphrey Ocean RA and John Leighton, Director of the National Galleries of Scotland.[1]

Early life

From 1961–1966 he served an apprenticeship as a signwriter and decorator for F.Speed and Sons in Midsomer Norton.[2] From 1966–1970 he attended the West of England College of Art,[3] now the School of Creative Arts, Bristol. He then went self-employed as a freelance artist and designer.

Career

After leaving West of England College of Art he started a business at his home at the Hole in the Wall, Church Square, Midsomer Norton, painting pictorial pub signs for Courage Brewery and Butcombe Brewery. In this role he designed and created signs for pubs in Somerset, Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire and South Wales. He completed almost 400 signs in a fifteen-year period.[3]

In the 1980s he commenced a ten-year period producing large scale murals for Trusthouse Forte's Welcome Break service areas on the country's motorway network.[3] Fourteen were created, some measuring over sixty feet in length and eight feet high, setting a decorative theme for each site depending on its location. Some depicted local historical events, others recorded local battles, while some just informed travellers of attractions in that part of the country. These were placed in the following service station locations:[4]

It is even possible to purchase prints of some of the service station murals.[5]

During this period, he also undertook a number of notable commissions, including working for RoadChef, Royal Saudi Air Force, The Personalised Plates website, Qaboos bin Said al Said, the Sultan of Oman, National Giro and the Property Services Agency.

After working for 25 years in the corporate field, he moved towards more personal choices for his art, specialising in detailed landscapes, seascapes and portraits in both oil and watercolour.[3] [6]

In 2008 he won the Holburne Museum of Art's biennial portrait competition for Dead Man Posing, a portrait of Philip Ledbury from Frome, an artist who had been diagnosed with leukaemia. The prize was a commission of £5,000 for a portrait to be added to the Holburne's collection of portraiture. The panel of judges included the author Victoria Glendinning, John Leighton, Director of the National Galleries of Scotland and the artist Humphrey Ocean RA. They presented the award to him at a ceremony on 17 October.[7]

He belonged to the Old Bakery Artists group that has been meeting monthly in Radstock[8] since 2000.[9] He died of cancer on 21 March 2013.[10]

Exhibitions

Honours

Awards

Media coverage

His work has frequently been covered by local newspapers and magazines in Bath,[1] Somerset[9] [14] [15] [18] [19] [20] and elsewhere,[21] [22] [23] as well as by the BBC[24] and arts media.[25]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: David Fisher Holburne Portrait Prize winner 2008 . This is Bath . 21 October 2008 . 21 October 2011.
  2. http://www.davidfisherartist.co.uk/curriculumvitae.html
  3. Web site: David Fisher . Old Bakery Artists . 21 October 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120303064744/http://www.oldbakeryartists.co.uk/dfisher1.htm . 3 March 2012.
  4. Web site: Murals and Commercial Commissions . 6 February 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091025095053/http://www.davidfisherartist.co.uk/achievements.html . 25 October 2009 .
  5. Web site: David and Charles housekeeping art . Shopwiki.co.uk . 27 April 1986 . 21 October 2011.
  6. Web site: Fisher . First-view.co.uk . 21 October 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120303064744/http://www.first-view.co.uk/fisher.htm . 3 March 2012.
  7. Web site: Celsius.eu.com . :: The Holburne Portrait Prize . Chapelrowgallery.co.uk . 28 October 2008 . 21 October 2011.
  8. Web site: Contact Us . Old Bakery Artists . 21 October 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120128013742/http://www.oldbakeryartists.co.uk/contactus1.htm . 28 January 2012.
  9. Web site: Artists take to the wards for display . https://archive.today/20130505080542/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/guardian/news/Artists-wards-display/article-453369-detail/article.html . dead . 5 May 2013 . This is Somerset . 5 November 2008 . 21 October 2011 .
  10. Web site: Midsomer Norton artist David Fisher dies aged 66 . https://archive.today/20130706063913/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Midsomer-Norton-artist-David-Fisher-dies-aged-66/story-18544331-detail/story.html%23axzz2Vh3Xw0MO . dead . 2013-07-06 . This is Somerset . 2013-03-28 . 2013-06-09 .
  11. Web site: 155th Autumn Exhibition at the Royal West of England Academy . Culture24 . 12 December 2007 . 21 October 2011.
  12. Web site: David Fisher – Winner of the 2008 Holbourne Portrait Prize . Davidfisherartist.co.uk . 21 October 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20040612205523/http://www.davidfisherartist.co.uk/ . 12 June 2004.
  13. Web site: David Fisher - Winner of the 2008 Holburne Museum Prize - Classic English fine art - Giclée prints and originals . 6 February 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091026055557/http://www.davidfisherartist.co.uk/index.html . 26 October 2009 .
  14. Web site: Museum hosts the Old Bakery Artists . https://archive.today/20130505081729/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/guardian/news/Museum-hosts-Old-Bakery-Artists/article-771892-detail/article.html . dead . 5 May 2013 . This is Somerset . 15 March 2009 . 21 October 2011 .
  15. Web site: Portrait of Philip is judged the best . https://archive.today/20130505093220/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/guardian/news/Portrait-Philip-judged-best/article-416415-detail/article.html . dead . 5 May 2013 . This is Somerset . 21 October 2008 . 21 October 2011 .
  16. http://www.davidfisherartist.co.uk/clients.html
  17. Web site: Home | The Holburne | Art Museum . Bath . 21 October 2011.
  18. Web site: | | This is, Ledbury, Philip, art, exhibition, Shepton, Frome . https://archive.today/20120912021402/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/guardian/news/Dying-artist-hold-farewell-exhibition/article-885275-detail/article.html . dead . 12 September 2012 . This is Somerset . 8 April 2009 . 21 October 2011 .
  19. Web site: | | This is . https://archive.today/20130505065214/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/guardian/news/Terminally-ill-artist-holds-farewell-exhibition/article-865196-detail/article.html . dead . 5 May 2013 . This is Somerset . 1 April 2009 . 21 October 2011 .
  20. Web site: David Fisher - Somerset Art - News & Media . 6 February 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081120211835/http://www.davidfisherartist.co.uk/news.html . 20 November 2008 .
  21. Web site: Watch This Space . This is Dorset . 30 January 2009 . 21 October 2011.
  22. Web site: The Craven Herald: News from Skipton and the Dales and surrounding areas . Events.cravenherald.co.uk . 21 October 2011.
  23. Web site: West painter scoops prestigious portrait prize|Western Daily Press|News . https://archive.today/20130505113638/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/educationplus/home/West-painter-scoops-prestigious-portrait-prize/article-413193-detail/article.html . dead . 5 May 2013 . This is Bristol . 21 October 2008 . 21 October 2011 .
  24. News: UK | England | Somerset | Poignant portrait wins art prize . BBC News . 23 October 2008 . 21 October 2011.
  25. Web site: Ignacio Villarreal . The Holburne Portrait Prize Finalists on View at Holburne Museum of Art . Artdaily.com . 1 October 2008 . 21 October 2011.

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