Tony fitzpatrick prints

Tony Fitzpatrick

No. 9, An Artist's Journal
Review from theAustin Chronicle by Wayne Alan Brenner

You've seen prints and you've seen collages, and maybe you've even seen both in a single creation at the same time, but you've never seen them quite the way Tony Fitzpatrick renders them – on notebook-sized paper, with a stunning arrangement of symbolic images building complexity into his highly effective choices of balance and color.

This is "No. 9, An Artist's Journal," a long-running series of original illustrations conjuring and conjured by the artist's daily musings and his travels around the world. Tokyo, Chicago, New Orleans: These cities and others provide the inspirations for (and sometimes subtly influence the style of) his spectacular creations.

Difficult for works of approximately 8 inches by 10 inches each to be anywhere near "spectacular," you might think, and you'd be right. Which is why we highly recommend this inaugural exhibition (at the soon to be relocated BSFA): This art is spectacular in its meticulous arrangemen

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Self-taught, Chicago based artist, Tony Fitzpatrick (born 1958) referred to as "larger than life", is a former prizefighter, poet, radio talk-show host, and occasional movie actor. With a gift for imagery and detailed drawing in both small and large scales, Tony Fitzpatrick's characteristic style is informed by sources such as children's books, field guides, circus posters, tattoo designs, and folk art.

Biography
Tony Fitzpatrick (1958 -)

Born in Chicago in 1958, Tony Fitzpatrick is a former prizefighter, poet, occasional movie actor and self-taught artist. Fitzpatrick has many national solo shows to his credit. His work is in the collections of (among others) the Art Institute of Chicago; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.

From 1990-94 he operated the World Tattoo Gallery in Chicago and co-founded Big Cat Press in 1992. His bleak and iconic works are influenced by Haitian artistic sources and reveal the darker aspects of American culture.

The Presid

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■The Affordable Care Act saved my life. At my wife’s hectoring, I got it right before I had my heart attack. Every time I criticize Obama, I preface it with, “Besides the fact that the guy saved my life …” What I felt after my heart surgery was that I wasn’t done yet. It made me determined to work harder. There was an acknowledgment that there’s more behind you than ahead of you, so use your time wisely.

■I hadn’t had a drink for 33 years, but after I got out of the hospital, I was told that red wine would thin my blood and keep me healthy. So I had a glass or two every day. Then, during the pandemic, my best friend died, and two or three glasses turned into two or three bottles. I slipped and fell in a restaurant on North Avenue after a few glasses, and as I was standing up, I saw this look cross my son’s face and thought, He’s ashamed. I said, I’m done with this shit. I’m sober now and in a recovery program.

■Albert Camus said that artists always circle back to the one or two images that first opened their heart. I loved cartoons as a kid. I loved Dick Tracy. I loved