The Blackboard Canvas and Texas Roots Vernon Michael Fisher (1943–2023) emerged from the fertile artistic landscape of Fort Worth, Texas, shaping a distinctive visual vocabulary that would resonate throughout his prolific career. Born February 19, 1943, Fisher’s early life instilled in him an appreciation for art—not as an abstract concept but as something tangible, like the patina of weathered paint on houses—a formative influence that would permeate his artistic endeavors. He pursued formal education diligently, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Hardin–Simmons Un…