Inside Mark's Studio
The Layers We Bring to a Painting
A few years ago, I saw an artist paint figures without giving them much context. A man was clearly sitting, but there was no chair. I was fascinated by how little information could communicate so much—and how the viewer was required to fill in the blanks.
That idea stayed with me. I began leaving portions of my figures open, allowing the abstract painting beneath to remain visible. Eventually, I wanted that underlying painting to be strong enough to stand on its own.
What really interests me now is layers.
Some of my paintings contain eight, ten, even fifteen literal layers of paint. But those are only the visible layers.
We are layered beings, too. Our environments. Emotions. Memories. Experiences. Relationships. Identities. Spirit. Layer upon layer, they shape who we become.
Without the environment I grew up in, would I be Mark Fisher today?
I want my paintings to reflect that complexity. The painting creates one layer. The figure adds another. And then the viewer brings their own—their memories, experiences and emotions.
If a painting can contain fifteen layers of paint, how many layers of meaning might exist between the artist and the person standing in front of it? I don't want to tell you everything. I want to leave room for you to bring layers of yourself into the painting.
Maybe that's what I'm really trying to do with The Shape of Human Experience: create enough layers to tell my story, while leaving enough space for you to find yours.
Mark
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