Robin Fisher featured artist for the month of February

Robin Fisher is the local artist who is being featured at The Main Street Art Center for the month of February. Located at 106 S. Main St. in Mt. Pleasant, the gallery portion of the center will feature Fisher’s drawings starting Feb. 3 and will run the entire month.

Fisher’s exhibit, titled “Simple Pleasures, Quiet Places” is a display based on the artist’s pencil, pen and ink and pastel drawings.

“I have been drawing as long as I can remember,” said Fisher. “When I was little, about seven, I was writing and illustrating a book about pigs.”

Fisher remembers that her mother also drew pictures, and as did her older sister that gave her advice on simple techniques such as blending and shading.

“Art was always a special class for me when I was in school,” said Fisher. “I went to school in Waco. And then, I went to college at Iowa Wesleyan University. I have a degree in Art Education from IWU.”

Fisher never taught art, however, she did teach English as a second language at WACO. She was then at the Mt. Pleasant Prison for about 22 years. First as a teacher at the prison, then as a coordinator within the prison system.

“After retiring from the prison, I started the “Art Nest”,” said Fisher. “It was a guided painting party, and I did that for four years. And then we sold that business.”

“When I was in elementary school, my favorite author of all time was Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the illustrator for her books was Garth Williams,” said Fisher. “Those books just spoke to me. I just loved them.”

“I do a lot of pictures of kids,” said Fisher. “You just find them doing intriguing positions and interesting facial expressions. They are a lot of what I like to do. I work with a lot of animals too. I try to get a different perspective for each picture.”

“I like working with details, there are times when working in pastel, that I wish I was more fluid,” said Fisher of her works. “I think that it is a learning experience for me to keep working in pastels.”

Fisher does a lot of commissioned work these days. “I work from photographs. I do a lot of photos of dogs, not so many cats,” said Fisher. “And I draw a lot of people. Sometimes I do work where someone wants a loved one, who is no longer with us, placed into a drawing or a grouping such as a wedding picture. That has been a big part of the work that I have done this last year.”

The display at the Art Center next month, will be Fisher’s first solo display since her college days. She has previously shown her work at art centers in Burlington and Fort Madison. She will have 28 pictures to show for this display.