On Saturday, Jan. 2, artist Carl Von Fischer, of Mount Vernon, will demonstrate his oil painting techniques from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea.
Von Fischer grew up in Cincinnati and absorbed creativity directly from his parents. Von Fischer’s mother was a basket maker and weaver and his father was a painter and a designer for Gibson cards.
Von Fischer can remember taking a bus or streetcar to the Cincinnati Art Museum as a youngster.
“Almost every week, I would spend hours in the museum going from painting to painting. The ones that really caught my eye were the great Western paintings. I knew early on – that one day I would paint – where and when I didn’t know,” he said.
At age 16, he worked in Glacier National Park, affirming his love of the Western landscape.
After graduating from high school, Von Fischer joined the military and was deployed to Germany. Upon his return to Cincinnati, he attended the Central Art Academy, studying commercial art, and graduated with top honors. Von Fischer then worked for advertising agencies in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Denver, and Greenville, S.C., before opening his own advertising agency. After five years running his own business, he sold it to his partner and moved out west to Missoula, Mont. There he began to teach himself to paint in earnest, often painting in the open spaces of the west.
In 2003, Von Fischer moved to Kentucky to be near his son and grandchildren and began painting full-time. He often paints landscapes and animals, using a palette knife to layer and apply the oil paint and delineate grasses, foreground and trees in the background.
“You name it – I had to paint it. They say it’s never too late and you are never too old. I agree to both and let my paintings speak for themselves” he said.
Paintings by Von Fischer are regularly available at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, 200 Artisan Way, just off Interstate 75 at Berea Exit 77. The center’s exhibits, shopping and travel information areas are open daily, year-round, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the cafe is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The center currently features works by more than 700 artisans from more than 100 counties across the Commonwealth. On display through Feb. 27, is the gallery exhibit “It Takes Two: Collaborations by Kentucky Artisans.” For more information about the center’s events call 859-985-5448, visit us on Facebook or go to the center’s website
The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is an agency in the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.