Frank James Fisher: Pop Artifacts and Beyond
When encountering the ceramic sculptures of Frank James Fisher, the viewer is likely to find their mixture of forms and graphics surprising. Gas cans, flasks and coffins are among the objects he makes which include both vessels within the domain of ceramic art as well as objects that do not. Surfaces of works, layered with visual elements inspired by American popular culture and advertising, yield unexpected personal and symbolic meanings beyond their effectiveness as decoration.
Brand Remover teases the eye with its blend of the familiar and unfamiliar. The bottle’s form, graphics, and interplay of red, white, and black are dynamic and evocative, making it appear like a half-forgotten item on a shelf somewhere. Contrasting with its striking red color, the bottle’s surface is chalky in texture, evoking a sense of dust and age, as if it were being passed over. The bottle’s sleek shape suggests luxury and refinement, befitting its graphic decoration. The primary image is of a stylish woman, perhaps a widow judging from her veiled hat and black garment. A balloon above her head, red on black, is inscribed ‘Adults Only’ and the woman’s lips, contrasting with her pure white skin, are bright red, accentuating her youthful appearance. Putting together the other pieces – the title, a framed letter ‘A’, the inscription ‘NOT ME’, and panels of barely decipherable text, a number of interpretations come to mind. Is the product hypothetically contained inside used for cleaning up a messy murder scene? Where would such a product be sold? What is its target market? Is the woman a victim, a murderer, or both? Is the brand removal a reference to her new status after marriage?
Fisher’s intent is to pique the viewer’s curiosity by choosing imagery that can be interpreted more than one way. He claims, however, that he created it in honor of Hester Prynne, the tragic character from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter (1850). Unfairly accused by her Puritan neighbors of adultery despite her denials, she was forced to wear the red letter ‘A’ for the rest of her life as her punishment. Like Prynne, the woman portrayed on the bottle, in spite of her appearance, is innocent. Her dishonor – her brand – could never be removed.
Although others have referenced popular culture in ceramics, notably artists identified with Pop Art and Funk Art, Fisher spent over thirty years working as a graphic designer and is not dependent on their work for inspiration. Instead he takes full advantage of the processes and strategies he employed in advertising and product packaging. Transcending facsimiles of actual mass-marketed products, his ceramic pieces grab our attention through eye-catching designs inspired by those found on items for sale in supermarkets.
Unfairly accused by her Puritan neighbors of adultery despite her denials, she was forced to wear the red letter ‘A’ for the rest of her life as her punishment.
The effectiveness of Fisher’s art does not rest solely on bold graphics however. Building his pieces with slabs and molds, Fisher favors flattened planes, sharp angles and crisp edges, often making
