CHANGES

From classic Rona Fisher to new Rona Fisher and why?

As a designer I am capable of designing in just about any “style” from playing with River Pebbles, Italian Circus, Byzantine and Art Deco. I could travel through various time periods and design elements, and have fun doing it.  However I soon realized that I really didn’t have enough time to explore each of the styles thoroughly, and that caused a bit of frustration for me. I felt that I needed to make a decision. I realized what held me back was that I was afraid to commit, afraid I would get bored.

 

When You Focus Narrowly, you can then expand

I thought of one of my casters, an Orthodox Jew who seems to navigate the modern world quite nicely as well as be energetically involved with his traditions (which I perceive as restrictive). So I asked him how he is able to live in the two worlds?  His reply went something like this: “When you focus narrowly, you can then expand.” I thought of Frank Lloyd Wright’s claustrophobic hallways leading into open rooms, and the release felt when entering these rooms, which felt bigger and lighter than they are due to the narrow focus of the hallways.

 

I was still holding back

I felt the River Pebbles Collection was the most unique, but did I want to spend the rest of my artistic life with just pebble shapes?  Was I ready to commit? I thought, I’ll make it a game, give it a try, give nothing up just yet, and see if my caster and Frank Lloyd Wright knew something worth discovering. After only a few short weeks of designing with only River Pebbles in mind, things started to percolate.  Not only is the collection unique, but it resonates deeply with what really inspires me.

 

To design with the main inspiration in my life has way more meaning

Yes, as a designer, I can design for probably any style imaginable, enjoy the process, but to design with the main inspiration in my life has way more meaning. With a narrow focus, I am able to create more sophisticated pieces with the central ideas being asymmetry and balance, light glimmering as if off the water’s surface, rushing water (energy) and the general feeling of well-being. Being an urban being, I live in the contradiction of cement and human-kind’s accomplishments all around me, while plugging into the power of nature. (Luckily we have a huge expanse of nature here in Philadelphia- so I can connect quickly and spontaneously,) Being outside in nature is so energizing and inspiring for me, to be able to express that in a wearable art form, and then share that is way more meaningful than having fun with “decorative” arts. So, yes, focusing narrowly has opened up new vistas, allowing me the freedom to explore that which is meaningful to me, and be able to share that with you.

-Rona Fisher