Laura Kerr – The Fisherman and His Wife

textured asemic waves gestural brushstrokes fish stacked in vertical rows a wash an etching shades of muted light royal blue
text: "every day the fisherman went out fishing" (at top); at bottom "and he fished and fished"

textured asemic waves gestural brushstrokes abstract cross hatched pattern in diagonal vertical rows a wash an etching black and grey shapes, pale orange-pearl background
text: "listen fisherman" (top)
"let me go let me go let me go" (bottom).

textured asemic waves gestural brushstrokes fish shapes and netting patterns stacked in vertical rows a wash an etching shades of grey-green patterns atop a washed-muted pea green background Text: "listen husband" (at top); at bottom "tell the fish i want a palace" (bottom).

textured asemic waves gestural brushstrokes abstract shapes and netting patterns fish? perhaps - stacked in vertical rows a wash an etching shades of umber-white-beige patterns atop a washed-muted rich brown/earth background Text: "go home" (at top); at bottom "she is already standing before the door" (bottom).

textured asemic waves gestural brushstrokes abstract shapes and netting patterns transforming into rows of fish - we see the fish mouth and eyes 3 rows of large fish emerging - stacked in vertical rows a wash an etching - shades of red raw urgent like a vibrating mosaic, patterns atop a red-black background Text: "go there immediately" (at top); at bottom "i want to become like god" (bottom).

textured asemic waves gestural brushstrokes abstract shapes and netting patterns fish transmuting back to abstraction (a feel of a silk screen or etching/print) stacked in vertical rows, black patterned shapes against a grey background Stark. Text: "go home" (at top); at bottom "she is sitting in her filthy shack again" (bottom).

Artist Statement:

My current artworks are digital paintings inspired by The Fisherman And His Wife.

The Fisherman And His Wife collected by The Brothers Grimm has been a story I have used in my work. The themes, symbolism, lessons and allegories have continued to fascinate me. Aside from the obvious ‘Adam and Eve’ parallel (with unusual twists) the idea of greed turning in on itself and going full circle back to the beginning of the story is quite genius. There are also so many colourful details including the changing description of the sea upon each visit…so much to offer a visual artist.

I made a multi-media installation back in the mid-nineties depicting different moments of importance in the story. Over the years I have on occasion returned to it and found myself once again drawn to the images and story.

Laura Kerr is an award-winning Canadian visual artist and poet. In 2012, she was honoured with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her art & continued contributions to art education. She is co-owner of Paradise art, an art school in Winnipeg, Manitoba specializing in classical and contemporary art education where she has taught both youth and adults for over 25 years.

Throughout her career, Laura has had a deep interest in merging digital technology with traditional mediums. As technologies have advanced so has the degree to which those mediums have merged in her work. This has resulted in her journey into visual poetry which seeks to develop a new language of expression that advances our understanding of our relationships with technology in a way that does not subsume the brilliance of our analog expression.

These generative images are a mix media of painting, drawing and digital photography. Laura deploys a variety of digital techniques and technologies in experimental ways allowing her to leverage their particular strengths but through their combination ensures the artists hand is directing the work and not the software itself. These digital mediums and the process she employs allows for unexpected new outcomes through “mad art/technology experiments”. Twitter: @LauraKerrArt

Banner: An excerpt from panel 5 of The Fisherman and His Wife (c) Laura Kerr 2022 chosen by Robert Frede Kenter. Twitter:@frede_kenter. IG: r.f.k.vispocityshuffle, icefloe22, Mastodon: https://zirk.us/@RobertFredeKenter.

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