Sequences of images in the ancient Egyptian temples at Karnak and the stained-glass cathedral windows of Europe were designed to convey a message or a theme. Craig Fisher continues this tradition through printmaking. Using intaglio, a process in which designs are etched or engraved into a metal plate and then printed, Fisher creates marks with a richness and immediacy that pen or pencil cannot match, turning drawings into multiple, tangible impressions.

His work spans diverse subjects and is often executed on a large scale, balancing a disciplined process with the surprises that give prints their vitality. In a world awash in digital images, the physical presence of these prints reclaims space, inviting viewers to slow down and engage. Monumentality appears everywhere—from modest homes to industrial ruins—and geometric shapes drift through imagined landscapes to evoke distance and mystery. Lifelong curiosity about world cultures and the natural sciences further inspires work that sometimes reaches into the cosmos itself.

From the ancient Egyptian temples at Karnak to the stained-glass cathedral windows of Europe, images have long conveyed a message or a theme. In these creations, an artist or draftsman had to craft a storyboard to arrive at a solution. 

For me, printmaking seemed a natural extension of that story that allowed me to carry drawing forward into making multiples of an image. In intaglio printmaking (where the image is incised into a surface), I fell in love with the wonderful marks that come from copperplate work, which have a density and freshness that pen and pencil could not match.  

I am not a generalist in my approach to the creative process. Printmaking demands that you strive for a disciplined process, but not one so specific that you ignore the occasional detours that give prints their freshness and sense of immediacy. Most of my prints are comparatively large. In a world saturated with digital images—often viewed on small screens—physical scale can reassert the importance of the tangible, the immersive, and the monumental. It’s a way for artists to reclaim space and attention, encouraging viewers to slow down and engage more deeply. Monumentality may be observed in modest residences, industrial ruins, or ancient porticos. I sometimes use pure geometric shapes in these imaginative landscapes as mobile avatars to build a sense of distance and mystery.

My lifelong interest in world cultures and the natural sciences has led me to content that I also explore through my works. Sometimes a new revelation in physics or astronomy offers me a window into a print-based exploration of our universe.