{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}} {{Infobox artist | honorific_prefix = | name = Barry Pressing | honorific_suffix = | image = <!-- just the pagename, without the File:/Image: prefix or brackets --> | image_size = | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = <!--only use if different from name--> | birth_date = 1948 | birth_place = San Diego, California, U.S. | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | death_place = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline}} --> | education = University of Berkeley | alma_mater = | known_for = Sculpture and oversized paintings | notable_works = | style = | movement = Contemporary Art | spouse = | awards = <!-- {{awd|award|year|title|role|name}} (optional) --> | elected = | patrons = | memorials = | website = {{URL|hfish.com.au}} | module = }} '''Barry "H.Fish" Pressing''' (born in 1948)<ref name="HP News">{{Cite web|url=http://www.hallidayspointnews.org/assets/noow-december-14-(web).pdf|title=Art in the Area. Pg. 6.|date=December 2014|publisher=Hallidays Point News}}</ref> is an American-born contemporary artist and sculptor living in Beechworth, Victoria, Australia. He is best known as H.Fish after his childhood nickname and his H.Fish Studios.
== Early life and education == Pressing grew up in La Mesa, California, nine miles east of downtown San Diego, where he graduated from Helix High School.<ref name="SD Magazine">{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rhAkAQAAIAAJ&q=%22barry+pressing%22|title=California's New Art Form|date=November 24, 1973|publisher=San Diego Magazine Publishing Company|via=Google Books}}</ref> He attended California College of the Arts in Berkeley, California<ref name="HP News"/> and graduated from San Diego State University.
== Career == His artistic career began with creating poster art for Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.<ref name="Art Council">{{Cite web|url=https://beechworthartscouncil.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/golden-art-fair-artist-statement-compilation-180325.pdf|title=Golden Art Fair Artist Statement Compilation, pg. 2|date=March 2018|website=beechworthartscouncil.org.au}}</ref> In 1970, he opened a combination hot-rod shop/art studio called Hog Fish, so named after his childhood nickname. The studio was influenced by surf art, chopper, and hot-rod fabrication. In addition, as a contributor at the time to the underground comix movement, he illustrated comics, including with psychedelic poster designer Rick Griffin and cartoonist Robert Crumb at the comic magazine ''Zap Comix''.<ref name="HP News"/>
Pressing relocated to Australia in 2003, moving his studio there.<ref name="Great Lakes"/> His artwork regularly appears in galleries and at art festivals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wootton.org.au/wvnews/February2013.pdf|title=Brush Turkey Cafe exhibits artwork of Wootton local and international artist H.Fish, pg. 8|date=February–March 2013|publisher=Wootton Valley News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.portnews.com.au/story/2104736/photos-mid-north-coast-magic-no11/|title=PHOTOS: Mid-North Coast magic No.11|date=February 21, 2014|website=Port Macquarie News}}</ref><ref name="Art Council"/> In 2014, a collection of 34 pieces of his work that took two years to complete was on display at an exhibition titled "Visions" at the Manning Regional Gallery in Taree in New South Wales.<ref name="Great Lakes"/>
He uses a series of odd-shaped canvases, along with a mixture of enamels, lacquers, and urethanes. His inspiration comes from his "surfing heydays in the US and Hawaii in the early '60s" as well as "psychedelic poster art he created in San Francisco during the 'hippie movement,'" as noted by the ''Great Lakes Advocate''.<ref name="Great Lakes"/>
In December 2019, for one month, Pressing's contemporary works were on display at the solo H.Fish Art Exhibition at the Arcadia Gallery in Beechworth.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vic.gov.au/hfish-art-exhibition|title=H.Fish Art Exhibition|website=www.vic.gov.au|access-date=10 January 2020|archive-date=26 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226032514/https://www.vic.gov.au/hfish-art-exhibition|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Personal life == Pressing lives in Beechworth,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bordermail.com.au/story/4387420/artist-swims-through-the-waves-of-his-time/|title=Artist swims through the waves of his time|first=JANET|last=HOWIE|date=January 5, 2017|newspaper=The Border Mail}}</ref> in north-east Victoria, with his wife Kerry.<ref name="Great Lakes">{{Cite web|url=https://www.greatlakesadvocate.com.au/story/2096270/video-hfish-exhibits-at-manning-gallery/|title=VIDEO: H.Fish exhibits at Manning gallery|date=February 19, 2014|publisher=Great Lakes Advocate}}</ref>
== References == <!--- See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes on how to create references using <ref></ref> tags, these references will then appear here automatically --> {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.hfish.com.au H.Fish Studios official site]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pressing, Barry}} Category:Living people Category:1948 births Category:Artists from San Diego Category:20th-century American artists Category:20th-century Australian artists Category:21st-century American artists Category:21st-century Australian artists Category:American contemporary artists Category:Australian contemporary artists Category:Sculptors from California Category:Artists from Victoria (state)