For David....

Our friend David Fisher with his painting 'First Things First'

 Today we said goodbye to our good friend David and the overflowing crowd in the church was testament to just how many people held a place in their hearts for him. He was such a generous, inspiring, radiant man...
 " You only meet someone like David once in a lifetime" Said one mutual longtime friend of David's earlier this week, and today another mutual friend, both fellow artists, added "It was a priveledge to have had the chance to know him." Another artist friend said of their art group "He was the glue that held us together."
As you can see he meant a great deal to a great many and we will all miss him.
David had been battling with cancer for the last four years and the dignity and courage with which he faced it was just awe inspiring. I have such admiration for the strength he and his wife Brenda fought it with together. He never once complained, never gave in to it -  even when he lost the use of his arm, as a painter he just said with a wry determined smile "I'll have to find another way to paint that's all."

The painting 'First Things First' above was his last finished painting and won 'The Most Popular Exhibit' at the 2012 Royal Bath & West of England show, which was the ninth time he had won the award.
He was a very prolific artist with a forty plus year career in painting, often on a vast scale, and it is so hard to choose which of his wonderful paintings to show you, so I will just show you some of our favourites... and here one of his most powerful...

'Why Me?'  self portrait by David Fisher

In David's own words: 

"This self portrait was my first piece of work in 16 months after being diagnosed with cancer in the Summer of 2009. It was on show in the Bath Society of Artists 106th Summer Exhibition at the Victoria Art Gallery, Bath."

And to me this portrait says everything in brushstrokes of all that I never heard him speak aloud.

' 2.36 am  Tramadol Nights '   By David Fisher 

 And another powerfully autobiographical painting, again in David's own words:

"This was a scene that greeted me many many times during the broken sleep pattern I experienced whilst recovering from the surgery that was necessary in my fight against cancer. An image I felt compelled to record."

This painting won 'The Chairman’s Choice' at 2011 Royal Bath and West of England Show Art Exhibition.

One of David's proudest acheivements was to win the 2008 Holborne Museum Portrait Prize with this portrait below of fellow artist Philip Ledbury - himself fighting leukaemia. He had said that winning this he felt he'd finally been recognised as an artist... He was ever humble about his own skill!

'Dead Man Posing' By David Fisher - Winner of the 2008 Holborne Museum Portrait Prize

'Dead Man Posing'

Again here are some of David's words about this painting:

"Philip has only recently come into my life through art. A man diagnosed three years ago with leukaemia, his passion for life is inspiring. His desire to live life to the full...'quality not quantity'... is a favourite saying of his, combined with a wicked sense of humour, was my inspiration to paint his portrait. A fitting record of the man."

David with his Holborne Museum Prize portrait of actress Stephanie Cole

This was the commission portrait he painted for the prize which is now part of the Holborne Museum's collection, of actress Stephanie Cole painted rehearsing lines backstage. He called this 'Once upon a time..' and I think it captures so much spirit of the woman beneath the actress and of the atmosphere of theatre.

 "I chose Stephanie for my sitter as to that time there were no female portraits in the collection, she has strong links with The Theatre Royal in Bath and The Bristol Old Vic, and resided very close to my home..
After our first meeting backstage at The Theatre Royal I felt that this would be the most appropriate location as, not only did Stephanie feel completely at home there, it was obvious that theatre was in her blood and her comment that the most evocative words in any story are " Once upon a time…"
Hence the title of my painting."

'Once upon a time...'   By David Fisher  - Holborne Museum Prize commission

 There are so many paintings and I wanted to talk about David 'our friend' rather than make it a biography, but he was a supreme artist and his paintings deserve to be shared. Here are some more favourites...

'Friend or Foe' By David Fisher "Most Popular Picture in Show"
Royal Bath and West Show 1998
Finalist - "Not the Turner Prize" 2003

'Grand Turk'  By David Fisher "Most Popular Picture in Show"
Royal Bath and West Show 2006

'The Joys of an English Summer'  By David Fisher  "Most Popular Picture in Show"
Royal Bath and West Show 2005

'The Onlookers' By David Fisher  Won the “Most Popular Picture in Show”
at the Royal Bath and West of England Show 2004

'Waiting their turn' By David Fisher

'New Acquaintance' By David Fisher

'Tru' By David Fisher

David with his painting 'Dreaming of Cats'  "Most Popular Picture in Show"
Royal Bath and West Show 2003

David Fisher 

21st July 1946 - 21st March 2013

Easter Day wanderings in the woods under broad blue skies...

 It has been a thoughtful and sad two weeks, a bittersweet beginning to a cold bright spring and an ending too as we wait to say goodbye later this week to a good friend who lost his long battle with cancer on the spring equinox. I will say more words about our friend, an artist and a truly radiant man, in another post after we have said our goodbyes on friday, and show you some of the wonderful things he painted.

For now I will share with you some pictures of a bright Easter Day walk in the woods, bitter cold but with the earthy scent of green and growing things waking in the sun.

 With Grandma and Grampy under the broad blue sky...

A very mischievous Easter Bunny here...!

 Leading Grampy along winding fox trails...

Happy children in the sunshine...

 I'll leave you with the hares seeking skyward over my hearth... Hope you all had a bright Easter and blue skies to bring in the spring. I'm looking forward to the greening of the woods...