BARRY FITZGERALD: IN BETWEEN
ON VIEW JANUARY 30–MARCH 22, 2015
January 30 through March 22, Wonder Fair celebrates the Fine Art of Illustration with In Between, a new suite of drawings by KU professor and industry veteran Barry Fitzgerald.
In each work, an imperfect tree is the centerpiece of an unfolding parable or improbable event: an acorn dreams of the days its leaves will brush the clouds; a snake curls up with a good book in a pool of moonlight emanating from a hollow trunk. The split tree as leitmotif was inspired by the artist’s attachment to a three-story-high ancient oak tree in his yard, struck by an Oak Wilt disease diagnosed in Fall 2014 that ultimately resulted in the tree’s death and eventual removal in January 2015. Knowing this, in Fitzgerald’s new series of drawings, we can identify:
sixteen original drawings,
and three newly-formed stumps (also original),
each very fine...
and somehow infinite.
Before In Between:
Students of our history will recall that Wonder Fair was built with the visual language of Illustration as its cornerstone, under the guidance of 2008 KU Illustration graduate and Wonder Founder Eric Dobbins.
Seven years later, Wonder Fair still champions all forms of art that are accessible but still demonstrate creative and conceptual rigor; promotes artists who possess a certain refreshing optimism that Art and Capital could fairly coexist (but who cannily recognize that they often do not).
And so, it is with great excitement that we exhibit "In Between", a return, of sorts, to our earliest roots.
About the Artist:
Barry Fitzgerald is a multi-disciplinary illustrator, artist and visual communicator who loves the challenge of making images that engage intellectually, emotionally, and aesthetically. He enjoys problem solving and collaborating with others, and is available for commissions.
After a previous career as a graphic designer in Washington, DC, Fitzgerald earned an MFA in illustration at SUNY Buffalo where he studied under Hall of Fame illustrator Alan E. Cober. Upon graduation, he was hired by the Detroit New to work as a staff artist, where he was able to combine his love of graphic design, illustration, and visual communication. Currently, Fitzgerald is a Professor of Illustration at the University of Kansas. He has been teaching illustration, drawing, painting, and conceptual problem solving since 1993.
Barry has received over 100 national and international awards for his work, including American Illustration, the Society of Illustrators of NY, Society of Illustrators of LA, 3X3 Magazine, Creative Quarterly, and Print Magazine. He has also been included in ‘200 Best Illustrators Worldwide’ published by Lürzer’s Archive.
