The language of form in these paintings connects the dots to the spiritual realm through the energy of all things physical. Energy is the bridge between the physical and the spiritual. Light, particularly, calls our senses to the presence of that which is metaphysical. This work is making space for the voice of spirit.
I use fluid media—watercolor, thinned oil paint, mica. These layered surfaces are luminous and subtle. This way of working demands that I step back from my intentionality and trust the process, giving voice to the materials I am using. I incorporate gilding with precious metals as a way of adding to the “other worldly” quality I am seeking.
The relationship of matter and spirit is at the heart of my work. The physicality of the earth is tangible and real. Another dimension is indelibly linked to that materiality, one that is experienced though it cannot be measured or delineated. That elusive relationship between matter and spirit has been explored extensively in verbal form—poetry, philosophy, metaphysics—and those texts are essential touchstones in my work. Finding forms to translate that awareness into visual language is an essential commitment in my work.
– Karen Fitzgerald, 2024 © Portrait courtesy of Ania Fedisz.
“Karen Fitzgerald’s paintings transform matter into cosmic revelations.” – Michaël Amy
ESSAYS
Karen Fitzgerald by Michaël Amy
Karen Fitzgerald: Metaphor of Energy, ArtBookGuy (PDF)
Radically Round by Karen Fitzgerald, Conscious Design Magazine (PDF)
The Stillness of Painting by Karen Fitzgerald, Conscious Design Magazine (PDF)
Karen Fitzgerald by Judith Tolnick Champa, previous Editor-in-Chief, Art New England