About the Artist

A Brief History.....

truly original art is the culmination of a specific set of human experiences that only the artist has had.- "Jerzey" Joshua Fischer 2004

Born in Long Beach, California in 1975, I spent the first 8 years of my life as a west coaster, living in Lompoc, Ca.  In 1983 I moved to New Jersey with my family.  Many years later I would become (much against my will)  "Jerzey" Josh Fischer as a result of this move.  You can't pick your nick name right?  Eventually it became just Jerzey or Jerz.  Growing up in rural Northern New Jersey, would eventually be definitive to the person I eventually became, instilling me with what I like to call Jersey Pride. Ironic that i was born in California right? As a teenager and young adult I became immensely interested in the arts, nature and philosophy.  I was lucky enough to grow up less than an hour and a half away from New York City, the greatest cultural mecca on earth, while at the same time I could drive fifteen minutes and be out in the country.  The Appalachian Trail was practically in my back yard, and the beauty of the Catskill Mountains were less than forty five minutes in the same direction.  Even in my own neighborhood one could find a wealth of art and music in the surrounding communities, like Milford, Pa,  Peter's Valley, NJ, and Sugarloaf, NY.  Surrounded by all of these wonders, I developed an interest in combining nature, my interest in art, and my growing interest in spiritual philosophical thought, into a form of creation.  When I was nineteen, I began attending College at William Paterson University, where I became a bit unfocused for a while, but at the same time I harnessed this lack of focus to develop my philosophical ideas regarding art.  I began rebelling against reality in art saying that those who paint "reality" were only duplicating the artwork of a higher power on their canvases. I strove to create that which no one has ever seen before, trying to use the skills I had to create something brand new ( a choice that turned out to be easier said than done).  To this day, I often attempt to accomplish this in my art, though you will also often find elements or reality in my work as well.  In my more mature days, I have found that it can be fun to paint reality on occasion (always with a twist, though).  Eventually, what felt like ridicule from my peers and professors drove me to leave the art world for a bit to contemplate what I was trying to paint about. (it turned out they were just pushing me)  Three years later I came back with determination to graduate and take what I was doing to the next level.  I eventually graduated with a BA in studio art with a minor in philosophy.  My interest in nature is still paramount, though, rather separate from my artwork these days.  I focus my interest in nature on conservation and recycling programs, such as Clean Vibes, a company dedicated to lessening the echo foot print of music festivals and outdoor events.    Currently, I reside in Nevada City in Northern California, where I  have lived for the last three years, continuing to paint and further my ideas on paper and canvas.