Janet Fish, 2003-2004

Janet Fish
Maurice Sanchez, printer
2003-2004

Workshop: October 20-22, 2004

Janet Fish, Smith College class of 1960, was born in Boston in 1938 into an artistic family. Her grandfather, uncle, and mother were artists, and her father was an art historian. She studied sculpture and printmaking at Smith and at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and she was one of the first women to receive an M.F.A. from Yale University. Known as a realist, her luminous canvases populated with brightly colored objects and light reflective surfaces in dynamic arrangements, seem to be more about the materials and actions of painting than the objects in the image. In addition to her accomplishments in oils, Fish has significant bodies of work in printmaking and drawing, and she has worked in both extensively throughout her career.

One of the goals of the workshop is to introduce students to the working lives of artists and printers. This idea has successfully impacted the lives of aspiring Smith printmakers. O.j. Kline, class of 2005, is one such student:

I met Maurice Sanchez in 2003 at the Elizabeth Murray Print Workshop in the Harnish Graphics Studio. Towards the end of the workshop I consulted Dwight [Pogue], Mark [Zunino] and Gary [Niswonger] about whether I would be out of line to ask Sanchez if I could apprentice with him the following summer in New York. They encouraged me by saying that making those connections was one of the goals of the workshops. Sanchez and I spoke a moment about logistics and I left the studio with a pounding heart and a huge smile. Working with Sanchez the summer of 2004 was challenging, informative and an impressive introduction to the New York art scene.

When Sanchez returned in 2004 with Janet Fish we met up like old teammates and worked side by side at the press. Both Fish and Sanchez were open and willing to explain their experiences to entire classes, Five-College students and members of the community. There truly was nothing more exciting and motivating than walking into a vibrant dynamic of skilled instructors, artists, and enthralled students.

Janet Fish. American, 1938 –