beverly fisher
artist, designer
Tucson, AZ
“how we spend our days is how we spend our life.”
for beverly fisher, the destination IS the journey. the former East Coaster fell for the desert landscape of New Mexico during a road trip years ago, and today finds her inspiration as an artist and designer in the surroundings of her Arizona home. “life out here is the adventure,” she says. “this fragile, luminous place is mesmerizing.” here’s how she does it.
where do you live?
“Tucson, AZ with my partner Jay and my dog blue, an amazing and complicated Irish setter / lab mix. i grew up on the East Coast, but fell in love with New Mexico when i was driving through on a road trip in 2008. i moved to Albuquerque to study landscape architecture at the University of New Mexico, on the northern-most edge of the Chihuahuan Desert system. this fragile, luminous place is mesmerizing. i have been living in the Southwest for about seven years now.”
what do you do—professionally, personally, passionately?
“i am an artist and designer. i make drawings on paper. my business studio Light | Space offers art, jewelry and fine craft. the essential everyday sits comfortably alongside the rare, with a focus on natural materials and the handmade. Light | Space believes the joy of acquiring something new and precious is also understanding its unique characteristics. objects and art come from makers that have a unique tale to tell.”
what path led you here?
“i was a quiet, wild and curious child who spent so much time outside running around with my brother and a terrier mix named Duke. i read everything i could get my hands on. i met my music teacher when I was 8, her name was Ethel, she had an amazing presence — i felt seen as a creative person. my parents were gardeners and builders. they were some of the most self-sufficient and capable people i know.”
what inspires and drives you?
“my amazing friends inspire me and keep me honest. my work is inspired by water and wind patterns on the landscape, aerial views — time, memory and place. i love making jewelry that responds to the body — a cuff that curls around a wrist bone. i am inspired by the artists before me and around me now. it is an amazing way to move through the world.”
something you realized on the job?
“Annie Dillard’s quote of “how we spend our days is how we spend our life” is a direct course correction when i get off balance. showing up in the studio, cultivating consistency is the key. keeping a sketchbook on my desk, sometimes a sketch, a word list or a quote will resonate for a long time. work is a spiral.”
advice to anyone pursuing art as a career?
“you can start at any time. stay open and present. slow down. movement is an integral part of the creative process. the insights happen during flow: a shower, a long day of driving, a slow walk with blue.”
we are living in crazy times. how has the pandemic changed the course of your life?
“in some ways my daily life didn’t change very much. i was already working alone in my home and studio. but i remember so much uncertainty in the beginning. i was not one of the productive ones at the height of the pandemic. it is something that we will reckon with for a very long time. it provided the opportunity to clarify and simplify my life, living next to close friends with Jay and a dog, and finding my studio in the Barrio has been a very joyful outcome from this troubled time.”
best book you read lately?
“a perennial favorite is A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit — a series of autobiographical essays that explore issues of uncertainty, trust, loss, memory, desire, and place. Distance and Engagement by Alice Foxley and Gunther Vogt is another book that informed my approach to place and design. it is a wonderful introduction to site analysis and a holistic approach to landscape architecture. Let my People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard inspired much thinking and conversation around the philosophy and mission of Light | Space.”
piece of époque on current rotation?
“the orion ll leggings. the fit and style is so versatile for running to the market or for a 90-minute yoga class. the details are so good — i love how the cut out frames an ankle, and how the waist band doesn’t cut into your body. i have them in blue and black.”
three random items you can't live without?
“Bose noise canceling headphones for podcasts and traveling. the darkest sunglasses for driving. a Chemex coffee to start the morning.”
favorite way to sweat?
“Ashtanga yoga or a long hike.”
not-so guilty pleasure?
“an ice-cold vesper at the Night Jar.”
mantra?
“be soft in your practice.”
gallery photos by: Logan Havens
