Arline Fisch was not only my longest-term client, she was also a dear friend and one of the most important women in my life. From my Masters Thesis Exhibition in 1969 at SDSU, she bought the only painting that sold from the show, thus beginning a lifelong relationship. She was already a major Art Star internationally and the founder of the San Diego State University Program in Jewelry and Metalsmithing in 1961, where she served as a professor for 39 years. In 1985, she was declared “a Living Treasure of California” by the Resolution of the California State Assembly.

I began photographing Arline’s work in the mid-1970s and continued for almost 50 years. The last project I photographed (and the last works she completed) was a series of broaches she had created, each one inspired by a female saint or angel. At age 90, Arline’s health prohibited her from continuing to work. I visited with her regularly until her death at 92.

In 2000, Arline was given a comprehensive retrospective exhibition at the San Diego Historical Society Museum and Research Archives titled “Elegant Fantasy: The Jewelry of Arline Fisch,” February 11-July 30, 2000. The catalog, which accompanied the exhibition, was produced in soft and hard cover books. I’m proud to say that approximately 90% of the photographic illustrations were my work, one of the greatest achievements of my life, thanks to Arline.