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Name: Ray Fehrenbach

Residence: Oshkosh

Medium: Etching & Drawing

“My vision is really just to do a lot of work. In doing a lot of work, I feel like I learn a lot about what I’m doing, and it’s really kind of about the learning process for me. When I do something that I like, then I get excited about it,” says artist Ray Fehrenbach.

The Green Bay native first became interested in art at age 9. His artwork has come a long way since then.

“When I was younger, I think I just tried to draw technically as good as I could, and when I got a little older, I tended to look a bit more inward when trying to come up with ideas or visual statements that kind of relate to my life a little more,” Fehrenbach says.

Fehrenbach’s inspiration as an artist was his best friend’s brother, Pete Poplaski, who taught him the mechanics of drawing as well as various techniques.

“It’s always good to have someone to show it to you, because to try to learn some of that stuff on your own is just really an impossible task. So, he really made a difference that way,” Fehrenbach says.

In the 1980s and ‘90s, Fahrenbach worked on a variety of comic books, drawing, illustrating and coloring for them. Some of his freelance clients include Dark Horse, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Fantagraphic Books and Eclipse Comics.

“I think just by working with a real diverse group of people, all different kinds of people from around the world, you see so many different kinds of artists with different perspectives,” Fahrenbach says. “You get to see how different people work, so you gain real valuable experience from that.”

Etching may be the largest part of Fehrenbach’s repertoire today. Etching is the process of making designs on a metal plate with the use of corrosive acid.

“What I really love is the process itself, the drawing and the printing and the unique line quality that you get,” Fehrenbach says.

See Fehrenbach’s work at The Hang Up Gallery in Neenah at the “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” exhibit, a group show of music-themed artwork by various artists on view December 1–January 31. More of Fehrenbach’s work can be found at npfiddler.wixsite.com/ray-fehrenbach.