At 617 Virginia Street in Bellingham, the sign for FishBoy Gallery is a familiar landmark to passersby in the Sunnyland neighborhood. Artist Randy Clark (also called R.R. Clark) has painted locally since 1997, moving from a rented F Street gallery to this permanent home gallery in 2006.
“In 2004, the Whatcom Museum gave me a one-man show for five months,” says Clark. “That was in the old museum before they built the Lightcatcher. So that was an instrumental part of my career there. I sold everything in that show, so that felt good and that kind of put the wheels on it. Since then, I’ve just built upon that, and I don’t want to be limited by subject matter. Whatever grabs me or turns me on, I’m going to paint.”
Clark’s contemporary folk art mainly involves painting on wood, taking inspiration from dreams, books, comics, and life. The whimsical imagery features all manner of subjects, including people, animals, illustrated text, and abstract patterns.
“As far as the FishBoy name, it was fishing for wood, fishing for paints,” says Clark. “I use latex house paint and acrylic exclusively, so both are water-based, and that works to my advantage. They dry quickly because I’m just a big kid who likes everything to dry quickly so I can keep working. In that sense, I’m always working on four or five or six pieces at the same time and bouncing from one to another. So, the boy is my inner child. I have to paint. I don’t have a choice. I mean, it’s who I am.”
Visitors can schedule an appointment through the website’s contact guide to discover FishBoy Gallery for themselves.
Contemporary Folk Art
Most of Clark’s paintings start in the studio at the back of his home gallery.
“Usually in the act of painting, it’s just starting something in an abstract way, throwing some paint around, and then I see what develops,” says Clark. “It’s actually that simple.”
Clark has created art in conversation with the local community, finding influence all the time in Sunnyland’s culture of creatives.
“There’s a lot of things from spiritualism to tribal art, children’s art,” says Clark. “I’ve got kids around the neighborhood that bring me drawings all the time. I always ask them, ‘Do you have an attorney?’ Because I’m going to maybe steal some of this stuff. That’s the nature of the game because you can be inspired by almost anything. I mean, you could come to me tomorrow and go, ‘Ran, read this book, because the fourth and fifth chapters are so visually rich, you’ll love it.’ And I do. And sure enough, Anna comes back over a couple of months later. I say, ‘Guess what, Anna? Those four paintings, that book inspired.’ Or a movie, or music, or… those are all viable resources that you just have to lay your hands on and your eyes and your ears. That’s where the art comes from.”
Brightening Up Sunnyland
Since creating the website, Clark has networked with the community for exhibitions and small-scale commissions. He has created permanent installations at Whatcom Museum, PeaceHealth Medical Center, and Propel Insurance in Tacoma.
“I see people on social media that are painters, that I communicate with from all over the world,” says Clark. “So that’s really fun. I know when I find something on there, hopefully I don’t scroll too much, but sometimes I do… and I’ll just find somebody that’s like, oh, you’re my brother or sister. Okay, yes, I like you. Yes, I’m going to save that painting. That kind of stuff. And every once in a while, I’ll tell them what I’m going to steal from them.”
Clark has collaborated with local artists such as the late Thomas Wood and numerous arts organizations for events. Since the Sunnyland Stomp arts festival started in 2009, FishBoy Gallery has drawn crowds into the hundreds along with live music and other makers.
“We have people from Vancouver, BC; we have people from Seattle, say they know about Sunnyland Stomp,” says Clark. “So that’s become a major annual show for us.”
“Art Is Play”
Part of Clark’s artist statement, as handwritten in one painting, reads: “We are all unique. Our spirit is energy; it radiates through our art. Everything you create is you… something you picked up, dreamed, assimilated. Yours is the only painting in the world that expresses your energy.”
The piece concludes: “And never forget. Risk is your friend.”
Over its history, FishBoy Gallery has featured garden parties, wine tastings, a wedding, and two different mayors. In the day-to-day, Clark’s plan is to keep making art.
“It’s what I was made to do,” says Clark. “So, like I said earlier, I can’t not do it. I dream about it at night. I read about it. I love it.”
You can learn more about FishBoy Gallery through the website, Facebook, and Instagram.
