The shape of things: Amanda Fish perfects the art of the still life
By MARRIE STONE
Artistic genres fall in and out of favor, depending on cultural mores. But still life paintings have been with us since ancient Egypt and Rome. It wasn’t until the 1600s, however, that they took center stage. Popularized by the Dutch when the Netherlands emerged as a global powerhouse, still lifes became a way for wealthy merchants to signal their sophistication and prosperity by memorializing their personal possessions. Floral still lifes were especially popular in the early 1600s with their highly refined details, their subjects and symbolism directed to a cultivated audience.
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Photos courtesy of Amanda Fish
“Mandarins with Asian Vessel” (oil and linen)
Still lifes, taken from the Dutch word “stilleven,” tell small stories. The artistry is not only in the brushstrokes, but in the artist’s ability to tell a compelling tale within the frame.
No surprise the still life genre captivated Orange County artist Amanda Fish, who spent a decade working in museums like The J. Paul Getty surrounded by Dutch and Flemish masters. This month, Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA) chose Fish as their featured artist. Her work will remain on display in their gallery through March 3.
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Amanda Fish, seven-time Festival of Arts exhibitor, in her booth last summer
“I chose our Artist of the Month based on commitment to their art and LPAPA as an organization,” said LPAPA’s Executive Director Bonnie Langner. “Amanda’s work is representative of realism. Her still life paintings are intriguing and beautiful.”
Fish’s childhood was steeped in the arts. She began painting by age 5. “My mother was an artist and collected antiques,” Fish said. “Even in my youth I’d go to antique shops with her, as well as shows and museums. My sister, also an artist, and I were very fortunate for an art education and to appreciate antiques.”
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The work often incorporates Asian-inspired antiques like this blue and white porcelain vessel
Fish received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles in 1981. Her love of art and art history led to her first career in museums, but she worked in watercolor all along. In 2003, she discovered oils and her love affair with still lifes began shortly thereafter.
“I was young and had a little apartment, so I did watercolor. People found out I painted watercolor on the side, so I started doing home portraitures and a lot of florals. But watercolor fell out of favor during a certain period of time. I noticed it was becoming a bit passé. It’s not now, but it was for a time period. Then impressionists like Michael Obermeyer came around and landscape paintings came back in style.”
But Fish wasn’t a landscape artist. She favored the intimacy of the still life and creating peaceful vignettes. “There’s a mindful thoughtful process behind every still life,” Fish said. “What is harmonious within the composition. What pleases the eye as you read the painting left to right because, in the western world, we read from left to right. Light enters from the left and hits all the objects. Then I want to bring the viewer’s eye back around into a painting. Maybe that’s with a leaf or an object. The viewer won’t know it, but they’re traveling with the light that’s hitting all the objects, and then they’re coming back around the painting.”
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“Golden Light” showcases the compositional skill and subtle, but important, use of light to guide the eye
The psychology of seeing holds endless fascination for Fish. Then there’s the importance of color. “I’m always thinking of color harmony when I’m assembling the pieces. When fall comes around, I’ll paint pomegranates and persimmons, maybe oranges. Those warm tones go well with brass and copper. In my mind I’ll think, ‘What goes with silver?’ From experience, I know burgundies and plum tones create harmony.”
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“Persimmons with Dragon” exemplifies the warm tones of autumn and highlights the harmony of color that’s important in Fish’s work
“Amanda’s still life paintings come alive in the most romantic of ways,” said LPAPA artist Wendy Wirth. “Somehow, she always finds a way to make a classic subject feel fresh and new. As a fellow artist, I’m inspired by the dedication she holds for her subject matter.”
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“Roses with Silver” is imbued with the romance of spring
Fish has been working as a full-time artist for more than 20 years. Her work has garnered the attention of critics, collectors and jurors. In 2022, Fish received American Art Collector’s Award of Excellence. She’s shown at the Bowers Museum, the Hilbert Museum, the California Art Club, numerous galleries throughout Southern California and the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach.
It’s her eye for composition that sets Fish’s work apart. Inspired by the still lifes of 18th century French painter Jean Siméon Chardin, she doesn’t allow any one object in the painting to overpower the others. The objects, she said, must be complementary and work in harmony. There’s no star of the show.
“Some of my more successful paintings include one or two objects. Then I create the composition of various items all around,” she said.
The objects, of course, are key. Fish inherited her mother’s antique collection. She also scours the markets in Old Town Orange and keeps her friends on the lookout for interesting vessels. “There’s a wonderful flower mart in Santa Ana that has David Austin roses, cabbage roses and cottage roses. I go up there during the springtime.” You might also find her in fruit markets, looking for the perfect lemon that will sit evenly on its side. Fortunately, a friend has a persimmon tree that produces gorgeous subject matter each year.
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“Lyrical Lemons” is a master study in placement and light
“There’s so much to think about (when creating a successful) still life that people don’t realize. Hopefully they aren’t thinking about that. They’re just enjoying the intimacy of what I’ve created.”
In the 1650s and 1660s, when Amsterdam became the social, political and financial capital of the Netherlands, still-life painters featured imported fruits, Chinese porcelain and silver cups rendered in glistening light and a velvety atmosphere. They emphasized aesthetic appeal and decorative function.
Fish’s work feels right at home with the masters. “I love what I do, and I get great joy from it,” she said. “Hopefully you can feel that in my work – the presence of something joyful and beautiful.”
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“Apples Fresh Picked” paired with the perfect branch of leaves and a white drape, offers the perfect play between light and shadow
Fish’s work will remain at the LPAPA Gallery through Monday, March 3. More information on that show can be found here. She will also be showing at the Festival of Arts this summer. In the meantime, her work can always be found at Chemers Gallery in Tustin and Huse Skelly Gallery on Balboa Island. For more information, visit Amanda Fish’s website here.
