2011 Artist Blog - Entry #18

"The Three Ages of Women", onsite carving, 2007

John Fisher is a contemporary figurative marble carver which is already unique in its own right. Chiseling on a piece of marble, which is an unforgiving medium, must be both exciting and rewarding when the work is finished. Although I'm not a fan of the word "finished" or "done" - I believe it is a matter of when we stop working. Back on topic, Fisher's works range in scale from life-size to monumental, sometimes weighing 10 to 20 tons. They are really beautiful, white marble pieces - one of a kind. John spent about 20 years in Italy traditionally studying classical techniques of the Renaissance and has carved over 200 sculptures. Yet, the style of John's sculpting is initially abstract according to him. He doesn't use any references for his works, it comes on its own as he starts chiseling the stone away. His mastery shows in the photographs of the sculptures he has made - highly defined anatomy and form, sense of weight and balance, silky smooth surface and outstanding poses. I can see a lot of influence from the Greco-Roman world. The figures stand out from the rough shape of marble blocks as if breaking away from the eternity and stillness of the stone. The treatment of drapery is astonishing which gives those works a classical feel which seems to be fading away these days. John Fisher's craftsmanship of dealing with stone clearly shows in the magical permanent sculptures installed all over Europe and the West - all of which can be inspiration for centuries to come.(word count - 259)

"NIGHT", Carrara Marble, 8 x 4 x 2.8

"VAI CON DIO", Statuary Marble, 4 x 2 x 2.3