BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
In 1931-32 he won the Vancouver Exhibition Association Scholarship of $50.00, open to "third year drawing and painting students."
Fisher returned to Vancouver, where he worked as a muralist, painter, graphic artist, teacher, and interior decoration designer. He assisted Charles Comfort on a large mural in the Toronto-Dominion Bank on Pender Street at Granville, a mural which remained in situ until early 2003, when the bank vacated the premises. The mural was relocated to the Academic Quadrangle at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C. with the official re-dedication of the installation in April 2004 after conservation work on it. Fisher also completed five murals for the lobby of the B.C. Electric Building. He taught at the Vancouver art school, and was Head of the Graphics Department.
A number of his pastels of the construction of the Vancouver Vocational Institute hung in the lobby of the Vancouver Community College for many years.
He also exhibited in the 1949 B.C. Artists at the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the BCSFA annual exhibitions in 1937, 1947, and 1950. He designed the exhibition catalogue cover for the 1947 BCSFA show.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE | EXHIBITION | LOCATION |
1947 April 8 - 27 | Exhibition by Orville Fisher | Vancouver Art Gallery |
DATE | EXHIBITION | ARTWORK |
1935 Dec. 6 - 15 | VAG Goranson, Hughes, Fisher: Drypoints | ? |
1936 Feb. 21 - Mar. 5 | PASOVAS Annual Group Show | (drypoints) |
1936 August 11 - 23 | VAG Goranson, Hughes, Fisher | Shepherd Boy |
Working on the Old Hull | ||
Alder Tree | ||
Ship in B.C. Marine Drydock | ||
On the Road to Gibson's Landing | ||
Crab Fishing | ||
Feeding Time | ||
Woodyard | ||
Waterfront Scene | ||
Shacks on the Waterfront | ||
1936 Dec. 8 - 20 | VAG Christmas Black & White Exhibition | Waterfront Scene |
1936 December 8 - 20 | VAG Goranson, Hughes, Fisher | Woodyard - Vancouver |
Shepherd Boy | ||
Feeding Time | ||
Waterfront Scene | ||
Shacks on the Waterfront | ||
Crab-Fishing on Burrard Inlet | ||
Ship in B.C. Marine Drydock | ||
On the Road to Gibsons Landing | ||
Working on the Hulk | ||
1937 April 16 - May 1 | BCSFA 27th Annual | Coal Harbour, Stanley Park |
Ship in B.C. Marine Dry Dock | ||
1937 Dec. 3 - 10 | VAG Goranson, Hughes, Fisher: Prints | (?) |
1945 July 12 - 26 | Canadian War Artists, Amsterdam | German Marines vacating their ships |
German prisoners surrendering material | ||
The Liberators | ||
German arms dump | ||
Issuing instructions | ||
Victory parade | ||
Refugees | ||
Prisoners entering concentration area at The Hague | ||
Allied ships unloading relief supplies - Rotterdam | ||
Pointing our harbour installations - Rotterdam | ||
River Maas - Rotterdam | ||
1947 May 9 - June 1 | BCSFA 37th Annual | Water-front Shoreline |
1949 July 12 - July 31 | VAG Stanley Park in Pictures | Zebra Fish at Aquarium, English Bay |
1949 Oct. 8 - 30 | VAG B.C. Artists 18th Annual | Shipyard Machine Cuttings |
Props | ||
1949 Nov. 22 - Dec. 11 | VAG First B.C. Graphic | Egg to Adult |
Thrust | ||
Fraser Valley | ||
1950 April 25 - May 14 | BCSA 40th Annual | Ship in B.C. Marine Dry Dock |
War Memories |
BRITISH COLUMBIA - A CENTENNIAL ANTHOLOGY (refer to BCCA58)
100 YEARS OF B.C. ART (refer to VAG58)
4th BURNABY NATIONAL PRINT SHOW (refer to BAG67)
THE FINE ARTS IN VANCOUVER, 1886 - 1930 (refer to THOM69)
FROM DESOLATION TO SPLENDOUR (refer to FDTS77)
A GUIDE TO SCULPTURE IN VANCOUVER (refer to GSV80)
ARTISTS IN CANADA 1982 - UNION LIST OF ARTISTS' FILES (refer to AIC82)
PUBLIC ART IN VANCOUVER (refer to UBC72)
PRINTMAKING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 1889-1983 (refer to AGGV83)
VANCOUVER: ART & ARTISTS 1931 - 1983 (refer to VAG83)
IMAGES OF THE LAND - CANADIAN BLOCK PRINTS 1919 - 1945 (refer to GLEN84)
MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS - SPRING EXHIBITIONS 1880 - 1970 (refer to MM88)
A DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN ARTISTS (refer to M)
VANCOUVER ARTIST: Orville Fisher
1999 September; by Michael Clark, Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design.
Visions newsletter, Volume 6 Issue 1, page 6.
One page biography with 3 illustrations of his work & 1 photo of artist.
ART BC, Masterworks From British Columbia by Ian M. Thom
2000, Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., ISBN 1-55054-808-5
232 pages illustrated in colour and b&w
Includes historical essays, biographical notes, index.
Article on Fisher page 68; one work illustrated "Mending the Nets".
CANVAS OF WAR - Painting the Canadian Experience 1914 to 1945
2000, by Dean F. Oliver, Laura Brandon; Foreword by J.L. Granatstein
Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., ISBN 1-55054-772-0
178 pages illustrated in colour and b&w
Includes reproductions of Fisher's paintings, biographical information.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (refer to EBC00)
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
7 references cited for Fisher, including M listed above.
A MODERN LIFE: Art and Design in British Columbia 1945-1960 (refer to VAG04)
WATERFRONT by James P. Delgado, Executive Director, Vancouver Maritime Museum
"The illustrated maritime story of Greater Vancouver"
Published by Vancouver Maritime Museum and Stanton Atkins & Dosil Publishers
2005, ISBN 0-9732346-5-2, 186 pages hardcover first edition with dust jacket
Includes list of sources, index, credits, acknowledgements
Extensively illustrated in colour and black and white with art and photographs
Artwork reproduced from Atkins Feckless Collection includes print by Fisher
OUR CHANGING LANDSCAPE (2008) (refer to BAG08)
PUBLIC ART IN VANCOUVER - ANGELS AMONG LIONS (refer to PAV09)
VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY - B.C. ARTISTS FILES (refer to VPL)
VANCOUVER SCHOOL OF ART - LIST OF GRADUATES & STUDENTS (refer to VSA)
THE FECKLESS COLLECTION (refer to FECK18)
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/orville-fisher-obituary
https://www.mta.ca/library/courage/orvillenormanfisher.html
https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/artists/fisher1eng.html
B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE death (refer to BCVS)
"The three artists, Paul Goranson,
Orville Fisher, and
Edward Hughes,
are young British Columbia men "who are contributing a
lively note to the Art of B.C. ... "
From "Art Exhibit in Faculty Room of Library"
The Ubyssey, February 1936
"... artists invited to join the club for the exhibition include: . . . Orville Fisher . . ."
From "PASOVAS EXHIBIT - Pioneer Art Students' Show"
Vancouver Province, February 21 1936
"Dry-points are shown by
E.J. Hughes, Paul Goranson
and Orville Fisher, three gifted young men whose
recent exhibition in the Art Gallery will be remembered by visitors."
From "FINE PASOVAS ART EXHIBITION"
Vancouver Sun (?), February 21 1936
"The twin contributions each of E.J.
Hughes, Paul Goranson, and
Orville Fisher, in black and white, are exceptional."
From "PASOVAS CLUB - Annual Display on View at Art Gallery"
News Herald, February 1936
"Orville Fisher, Edward
Hughes, and Paul Goranson became known
all over Canada through their mural paintings in the First United
Church, while their exhibition of Dry Points and Etchings in the
Art Gallery last December were widely praised."
From "GRADUATES IN ART" by Cintra
(unknown newspaper), April 25 1936
"Orville Fisher's "Waterfront Scene," ... would look well in a home."
From "Buy a Picture for Christmas"
Vancouver Sun, December 1936
"The Goranson-Fisher-Hughes' exhibition in the Reproduction Room has a special
interest, because this year the young artists are showing colored lino-block prints
in place of the black-and-whites that featured their earlier Gallery exhibitions."
From "Buy a Picture for Christmas"
Vancouver Sun, December 1936
"This year the main prizes go to ... Orville Fisher, winner of the $75 award for his
oil "Summer Weekend.""
From "Stanley Park Paintings On Exhibition at Gallery"
by Palette
Vancouver Province, August 2 1947
"Summer University courses "Painting for Pleasure" have been followed during the
past month with enthusiasm by an evergrowing number of amateur painters. The
instructors are B.C. Binning, Orville Fisher,
J. MacDonald, and Lionel Thomas."
From "Stanley Park Paintings On Exhibition at Gallery"
by Palette
Vancouver Province, August 2 1947