Visit the Studio with Karen Fitzgerald

Raised on a dairy farm in the Midwest, there is both an earthly and ethereal quality to Karen Fitzgerald’s work and her artistic presence. This is illustrated most poetically in her description of oil paints as working “directly with a form of energy – the fluid nature of the paint.” The celestial bodies in her paintings shimmer and glow, like real stars and planets above our heads. Karen describes her work as entirely about energy and we are here to channel just that.

Join us as Karen takes us through her studio as painter, teacher, and celestial goddess.

What materials do you use? And why?

I’ve always worked with oil paint. I thin it until it flows. Because my will is very strong, I developed a way of working (e.g., with chance) that puts my will in a corner. It is impossible to control flow. I am working directly with a form of energy – the fluid nature of the paint. Lately I’ve also begun using mica powders with gelatin as a binder. These are even more wildly uncontrollable!

What is your artwork about? What does it speak to?

My work is about energy. This is the coin of our world, our realm. Energy is light, fire; energy is frozen water. Energy is clouds, sunlight––it is roil and flow. My work speaks to this rile of change we live within. It speaks to the metaphysicality that all energy is.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Paint itself is beautiful––when you allow it a voice the most amazing things are manifest in this physical stuff. I read a great deal of poetry. Metaphor is one of the most powerful vehicles we have in our language––it can transform something within a word or two in the skillful voice of a poet. When I have that experience, it is very humbling.

What is your typical routine when you get to the studio? Walk us through a typical studio day.

I unpack my lunch when I arrive, and make coffee. Most mornings I am in the studio by 7am. I sit and look at the work of the previous day. Sometimes there is something on my mind, and I might spend the first hour or two writing. Each day has its own rhythm: I let this emerge as I settle into the work day. I eat lunch early, sometimes by 10:30am. If I have something that needs gilding, I will work on that as a priority. The gild will need to dry for 24 hours; if I complete it early in the day, the following day I can clean it. There is a lot of process in my work: prepping paper, prepping a surface (e.g., blackening yupo if I want a black ground to work on.) The new work needs to be masked before I put the first layer of Venetian plaster on. This is simple work: cut tape, carefully add it to the inscribed edge. Mask the outside with a layer of paper if necessary. When I add a ring of precious metal to the outside, the outer edge has to be masked. Often layers of paint need to be sealed before I can add another layer. I’ll typically do that before I go home for the day; and mask in order to gild something the following day.

What are you currently working on?

Right now I’m working on a new suite of work, What The Light Saw. All these pieces are done on yupo paper and most will require framing of some sort. I’m working within a 42” limit – otherwise the size is too difficult to maneuver during the painting process. (My arms are not long enough when I pick up the paper to work with the paint flow.)

What The Light Saw focuses on light and energy. These works are abstract, and range among sizes that draw a viewer in, as well as fill one’s field of vision: e.g., 20” diameter up toward 42” square. A tondo is fitted into the square.

With this suite, I am working with very fluid paint. The work process illustrated here does not contain oil washes. These are just mica washes on top of a Venetian plaster ground. When I work with a paint layer, it needs to flow. The language of flow I've developed is very much about edges––where they are hard, where they are soft and how these interact with each other. As you see in the images, a layer of fluid gelatin is laid down, mica suspended in gelatin is added. The flow changes breath to breath, minute by minute. When I'm satisfied with it, I put a fan on and dry the liquid out. The next layer will determine if this one needs sealing.

Several months ago, I wondered if everything would soon become activism. I might have wondered if everything (already is) activism. The work I pursue has decidedly been non-activist. It is concerned with making visible the experiences and energies of the natural world that have always been a part of my life. In our physical world, energy and light are the coin of the realm. The greatest activism I can reach for is to recognize the need to re-write our understanding of metaphysics. These works explore the spiritual dimension within something we relate to as a physical phenomenon. The restless shifting of light and energy embody that aspect which carries us to the delineation, and unification between matter and spirit.

Do you balance another job in addition to being an artist?

I do a lot of teaching. I’m working remotely currently, as an adjunct at LIU-Post in their MFA program. I am also doing remote discussions with the 50+ constituency for the Queens Library. We’ve been looking at abstract art, the history of American quilts, and how photography has influenced contemporary art.

Do you have any current or upcoming exhibits? Please share!

Later this year I will present a solo exhibition of What The Light Saw. In our current state, the date is still due to be determined.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this special peek into Karen's creative environment! Even in a virtual age, we encourage all budding collectors to take the time to connect with the artists you love directly.

We want to remind you of our awesome artist messaging feature directly on the Art in Res site––reach out now and foster that creative energy! Have more questions for Karen on her art and practice? Follow up with her directly via our messenger. We know she’ll be thrilled to answer any questions you might have. Ask about a specific painting or about her specific process in general––either approach works!