The Widlund Gallery at Tannery Pond Center presents: Astrophotography: Explorations in Color by Bob Fisher
Tuesday | July 30 - Saturday | August 17
Gallery Lower Lobby, Hours: Tues – Fri, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Sat, 12:00 - 4:00 PM | additional hours by appointment
Reception: Friday, August 2 | 5-7 PM
Artist Statement: This select exhibit from more than thirty years of Bob Fisher’s astrophotography includes images shot in Joshua Tree National Park in California, New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness, the plains of eastern Wyoming, and on the beaches of Maine. However, the body of the show represents work from the environs of Fisher’s home in Olmstedville, where he photographs celestial phenomena on clear nights throughout the year.
Color is not necessarily what the casual observer expects when enjoying the night sky. But with the artist’s a digital camera, more sensitive to light than either film or the naked eye, a wide range of color is revealed— even in relatively nearby subjects such as the orange “Sandy Moon,” shot in New Mexico as Hurricane Sandy was battering the east coast. Deep in remote space, where Fisher began seeking his primary subjects early in his career, even more dramatic color can be seen, as in “The Dark Horse.”
For the last several years, however, Fisher has brought his work down to earth in the genre of Landscape Astrophotography. Composition is one of his most significant strengths as an artist, and finding the most effective earthly foreground to frame his celestial images is his current preoccupation, as seen in his May 2024 photo where Olmstedville’s dark conifers frame a hot pink aurora.
“It is a rare and exhilerating experience to observe a scene of striking natural beauty illuminated only by the Milky Way, thousands of light years away,” says Fisher. “In remote places far from all artificial light, I look for a beautiful foreground that complements and contrasts with the cosmos shining at unimaginable distances beyond the horizon.”
Bob Fisher’s first solo photography show,“Thirty Years of Astrophotography” was featured in April 2024 at the Chestertown Library’s Ruplin Gallery. It included images from the 2017 Eclipse and many other celestrial phenomena shot from his home turf in Olmstedville and throughout the continental US.
Bob first saw the dark skies of the Adirondacks as a child on summer camping trips near Speculator. At age 15 he built his own telescope in his Paterson, NJ basement, and began to experiment with astrophotography. His awards include recognition from LARAC and North Country Arts. His images have appeared in juried shows from Old Forge to Gloversville and as far afield as Tupac, Arizona. National magazines, including Adirondack Life and Wildflower have featured his work, which can be seen online in The Light/Space/Time Gallery, Spaceweather.com, and Adirondack Explorer. A popular lecturer on all subjects astronomical, he has served as a guide to the night sky for the Newcomb Visitor Center and many other community organizations venues throughout the North Country.
“I’ve spent my life observing transitory phenomena, such as a total solar eclipse, when at a particular time and place sky and earth become dark for 3 to 5 minutes,” says Bob. “I’m fascinated by all of nature’s fleeting phenomena, and ever-intrigued by the constantly changing light patterns produced by the predictable cosmic clock.”
Bob’s work appears frequently at Ticonderoga Arts, LARAC and the North Country Arts Gallery at the Shirt Factory. His newest work can be seen in the H’ART Studio and Gallery in North Creek and at Birds of a Feather in Chestertown.
Contact Bob at: Olmad@aol.com or 646-771-5805
Listen to NCPR for more information on Bob Fisher’s Photography HERE (start listening at 18:27).
