Karen Fitzgerald

Lives and works in New York, NY, USA

Artist statement

“Karen Fitzgerald’s paintings transform matter into cosmic revelations.” - Michaël Amy This work is about making space for the voice of spirit. 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. I use fluid media—watercolor, thinned oil paint, mica. This allows me to build up layered surfaces that are luminous and subtle. This way of working demands that I step back from my intentionality and trust the process, giving full voice to the materials I am using. I also incorporate gilding with precious metals as a way of adding to the “other worldly” quality I am seeking for my work. The relationship of matter and spirit is at the heart of my work. The physicality of the earth is tangible and real. But another dimension is indelibly linked to that materiality, one that is experienced even 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 a way to translate that awareness into visual language is an essential commitment in my work. I grew up on a farm in Wisconsin. We lived close to the natural world, tuned to the earth and its ways. While I have lived most of my adult life in...

Artwork