ARTIST perception by Natalie Guess

As one of Naples most collected artists, my journey with Phil Fisher was 45 years of being an artist living with an artist. In our business, he was the one who painted and filled the walls with his amazing watercolors and oils that reflected the happiness he felt, while I created Batik paintings, clay work and ran our gallery. Our children grew up surrounded by art and the artist life. We did get to travel and when we did, he would sketch and paint scenes from wherever we went. Phil’s favorite place to paint was on location early in the morning and he loved the camaraderie of painting with other artists. In fact, a group of artists, “The Slingers” would paint together en plein air, for a number of years, but he was glad to have a studio space in our gallery to finish pieces or when the weather was inclement.

Phil could paint and talk at the same time, which was quite entertaining. Being a storyteller as well as a talented artist, he loved to tell of the times he lived here, in Naples, back in the early 70’s, working many different jobs, such as at Jungle Larry’s, construction or driving a taxi, while doing his art to get by. Some tales he would tell seemed to bridge the gap between times back then and the present and divulged how important our community was to him. Phil was a “people person” and thrived on spending time with friends and those soon to become friends as he warmly greeted those who ventured through our door. As a genuine soul, he was kind and compassionate to all living beings and truly loved his fellow man. Even in his artful approach to the world of social media, his Instagram followers meant the world to him as he spent hours with you, reading your posts and thoughtfully answering you, as well as enjoying sharing his thoughts and painting techniques.

He lived to paint, as he felt all artists should! He said he would never retire and hoped to die with a brush in his hand, standing in front of his canvas! “When I die, I don’t want a funeral or anything like that! I want a party with a live band and everybody dancing and smiling and having a good time! No one should be sad for me as I got to live the best life, painting every day, which was all I wanted to do!” He has left a major gap in our community and my life and will be missed.

The party celebrating the life of Phil Fisher will be early evening on February 7, 2026 at the Guess-Fisher Gallery, 985 Central Avenue, Naples. Come in and find your new, inspiring painting to take home and excite your life!