Tony Fitzpatrick's Birds in Cages-A Peek-a-Boo Project

I discovered Tony Fitzpatrick on Pinterest after a foot surgery many years ago. In his ongoing series “The Secret Birds”, Tony Fitzpatrick intricately draws and layers images, poetry and found materials onto the page. He combines inspiration from his working class roots in Chicago, and influences from folk art, comic book characters, and tattoo imagery in his trademark style on view. Each drawn collage depicts a specific species, ranging from the Peregrine Falcon, to the common “immigrant” Starling. Tony Fitzpatrick’s earliest drawings as a child were of birds. He credits his Grandmother for instilling in him a sense of wonder and reverence for a creature she believed inspired hope, telling him, “for the price of a crust of bread you can hear God sing”. “Each bird becomes a “visitation to her”, says Fitzpatrick.

As a mixed media artist I was intrigued by his collage like images with layers unifying diverse and eclectic items. He is the inspiration for this artwork.

Supplies:  GSLC 2 Inch Cage with Solid Back , 3-GSLC 3 Inch Cage with Solid Back , Printed Images of Tony Fitzpatrick Birds, Magazine Images, Scissors, UHU GlueStick, Metallic Paint, Van Dyke Brown Hue Paint, Paintbrush, Green Highlighter, Wooden Leaves, Acrylic Paints In Autumn Tones, Heavy Gell Matte Medium,

1. Gather Supplies.
   
2. Print Tony Fitzpatrick Images Sized to Fit into GSLC Cages with Solid Backs.
3. Paint Top Layer of GSLC Cages with Metallic Paints.
   
4. Add Patina by Making a Wash of VanDyke Brown Hue Paint and Water.
   
5. Find Magazine Images To Use as Backgrounds of Your GSLC Cages.
   
6. Trace and Cut to Size.
7. Use a UHU GlueStick to Glue Magazine Images to back of GSKC Cages.
   
8. Cut Out Birds from Printed Images.
9. Use a Green Highlighter to Soften the Edges of Bird Cutouts.
   
10. Glue Birds to Backgrounds with an UHU GlueStick. 
    
11. Use a UHU GlueStick to Glue With Pieces of GSLC Cages with Solid Backs Together.
    
12. Dry Completely Pressed Down with a Heavy Object.
13. Use Acrylic Paints in Autumnal Colors to Paint Wooden Leaves.
    
14. Secure Painted Wooden Leaves With Heavy Matte Gel Medium.
    
    
    

    

    
    

    

Final Thoughts

“Fitzpatrick’s is a narrative journey and the birds become a catalyst for self examination. They play symbolic roles some delivering otherworldly messages and cautionary tales, while others serve to commemorate and eulogize late writers like Gabriel García Márquez and he gives a soulful tribute to the Chicago songwriter and rhythm and blues legendary musician Otis Clay. His interests are numerous, and his narratives are reflections on his travels, social and political concerns or they become commentaries on the inequities and injustices found in Chicago and beyond.”

I like that Tony Fitzpatrick is a self taught artists as I am. As self taught artist does not follow the rules. They follow their hearts and create what they want. Because I never have had a class on Color Theory I do not know that some colors are not suppose to go together and I use colors that appeal to me. I take inspiration from nature with its wildness, unbridled regard for our wants or desires. Nature speaks its own language and surprises us with it beauty and recklessness. 

There are many name given to my style of art: Art Brut, Outsider Art, Neuve Invention,Marginal Art, Art Singular, Folk Art, Visionary Art, Intuitive, and Naive Art. 

 Our art is raw, “uncooked”, created uninhibitedly.  We are eccentric if only in our own minds. We may see ourself on the fringes or run the margins. My backwoods upbringing caused me to be resourceful and creative. Folk Art was in my blood as my mom’s family were crocheters, tatters, knitter, yard art not quite whirligigs but more of junk art sculptures.

A famous Bob Ross Quote: “We don’t make mistakes, just little happy accidents.”

I always like this quote by Jacob Nordby-

“Blesses are the weird people: Poets, misfits, writers, mystics, painters, troubadours, for they teach us to see the world through different eyes”

Tiny Worlds Retro Televisions-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 

We found a new show to binge early this year on Apple TV. Tiny Worlds is a nature Documentary narrated by Paul Rudd that focus on the smallest members of the animal kingdom. Each episode features a different habitats like the a pond, a meadow, woodland, and even a backyard garden. This show brings  new meaning to the phase “good things come in small packages”. The cinematography is stunning and the narration is enchanting. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Supplies: GSLC Retro TV 1 , GSLC Retro TV 2, Miniature Still-life Images, Micro Pins, Neon Green and Orange Paint, Yellow and Green Acrylic Paint, Paintbrush, Pencil, UHU GlueStick, Ranger Glossy Accent Medium,Liquid Sculpt, Polymer Clay Oven, 

1. Gather Supplies.
   
2. Paint GSLC Retro TV 1 , GSLC Retro TV 2, with Neon Green and Orange Paint.
   
3. Add Highlights and Patina with Other Yellow and Green Acrylic Paints.
4. Print Tiny Miniature Still-Life Images. 
5. Use a Pencil to Trace Proper Placement of printed Images.
   
6. Use a UHU GlueStick to Glue Images into Proper Location.
   
7. Coat With Range Glossy Accents Medium.
   
8. Stack and Seal GSLC Retro TVs Using a UHU GlueStick to Secure into Place.
   
9. Use Liquid Sculpt and a Bit or Polymer Clay to Secure Chosen Pins as a 3-D Element to Retro TVs.
   
10. Heat and Cure in Polymer Clay Oven.
11. When Fully Cooled Add some Patina to Pins to Make Them Look More Vintage.

Final Thoughts:

I grew up without a television and spent many hours exploring the backroads and woods around our country homestead. We had chipmunks, flying squirrels, and baby brown bats living in or around our woodshed. As I child I was delighted with their company. Sometimes on the Sunday Nights we would go to Aunt Blanche and Uncle Lester’s home. While the grownup played cards us kids were allowed to watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and Grizzly Adams. I was transported to worlds beyond my imaginations.

I had forgotten that wonderment and magic as the day to day of a working man takes over diminishing our joys. So when we discovered Apple TV’s Tiny Worlds my childlike wonder woke once again. I have always loved nature shows and have been amazed by the dedication of the photographers and film crews. It is doubtful that I will ever travel to some of the more exotic locations highlighted in episodes like rainforest, savannah, dessert , outback or jungle, but, The woodland, garden, pond and meadow transported me to my childhood home in the foothills of Pennsylvania. 

In Woodland a chipmunk hustles to make it through a year in the forest, while a host of other incredible tiny animals since every opportunity.

In Garden, it is  different land and yard from my childhood but I could totally related to the creatures featured in this episode.

From Duckling to dragonflies, all sorts of tiny wonders live in a freshwater, but for small animals in a big pot, life is full of danger. We go collecting pollywogs or tadpoles each spring from a tiny swampy area up over the “new ground”. My grandparents also had pond we’d go exploring whenever we went a Sunday visiting.

The meadow of their show is different than mine. Theirs had an adorable harvest mouse, queen bumblebees, and other critters that race to make the most if summer before their home is harvested for hay. My Meadow was know to us as the “New Ground” It was adjacent to our homestead  just past the “Old Road’ that edged both properties. It had a tiny spring fed frog pond, now I know as a vernal pond. The mosses that grew there were collected as children and and we would make moss gardens or terrariums.There were own little fairy gardens. The wildflowers would change throughout the seasons and it was place to find gray squirrels, baby brown rabbits, pheasants, even bob whites and an occasional bobcat, whose haunting cry sounded like a whaling woman. Later the Black bears returned and we see them there with their cubs. Many Whitetail deer lived  here with their sweet spotted fawns. Crayfish and Hellgrammites were discovered as we dammed up the local creek with the best swimming holes. It was a magical but sometimes lonely childhood for me. 

Trips Not Taken-A Peek-a-Boo Project

  When I was younger and more adventurous, I thought I might like to travel the Us and see some the National Parks that boast of natural wonders, breathtaking vistas, gasp worth scenery. 

They are written about in enticing almost pornographic phrases, “will certainly captivate you with its sights, sounds, and smells. Sparking blue lakes and lush meadows will mesmerize you. Flowing waterfall and colorful rocks will have you completely immersed in nature. Please enjoy this extraordinary experience and allure..” 

I think I would still enjoy seeing them but this is my dark side to the national parks…make them a popular  destination for every type of traveler— sightseers, adventure junkies, families, oversea visitors, and everyone in between. Summed up in this one word— “CROWDS”. You never are there in your romantic imaginings as those who first discovered and explored this amazing landscapes, you are there with thousands of others, pushing to be first, taking selfies so they are a center of attention and not the magnificent mountains, majestic meanderings, or calm rivers. They are there polluting beauty with their trivia and rudeness. I don’t mean to be an introverted isolationist but know as I have grown older, I seek solitude and drama free zones with almost every fiber of my being. 

I’ve reimagined these national parks  as how I’d like them to be, these are the inspirations for this artwork. A bit of Old West with a sprinkling of Retro Regal.

Supplies: GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks, Reminisce National Parks Kit Paper Pad and Stickers, Carta Bella Paper-Outdoor Adventures Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-The Great Outdoors Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-Gone Camping Collection Kit,  Sanding Block, TH Distress Stains of your Choosing, Vintage Map Scraps, Exacto Blade, UHU GlueStick, Deco Art Triple Thick Gloss Glaze, DecoArt Matte Gel Medium, Plastic Palette Knife,  Golden, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, Iridescent Copper(Fine), Van Dyke Brown Acrylic Paints, Paintbrush

1. Gather Supplies.
   
2. Use a Sanding Block to Roughen Up Reminisce National Parks Poster Stickers. This is an Easy Way to Add Vintage Appeal to Shiny StoreBought Stickers.
   
   
3. Fill in Scratches with TH Distress Stains of Your Choosing.
   
4. Glue Prepared Stickers To Center of GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks. 
   
5. Use an Exacto Blade to Trim Edges of Stickers That Do Not Fit On To GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks.
   
6. As the Distressed Stickers are Slightly Smaller Than the GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks Add a Bit Of Vintage Map Scraps to the Top and Bottom Using a UHU GlueStick.
   

   
7. Sand Edges of GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks with A Sanding Block.
   
8. Use Bits of Carta Bella Paper-Outdoor Adventures Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-The Great Outdoors Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-Gone Camping Collection Kit, as Ephemera for Your GSLC Chunky ATC  Blank.
   
9. Use DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze as an Adhesive.
   
10. To Add Depth and Interest add Other Layers of Vintage Map Scraps.
    
11. To Unify and Give the ATC “Posters” a More Vintage Look use DecoArt Matte Gel Medium a Plastic Palette Knife and Golden Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint as a “Wash”.
    
12. Paint Edges of ATC “Posters” with Golden Iridescent Copper (Fine) Acrylic Paint.
    
13. To Give it a More Oxidized or Burnished Copper Look Gently Add Golden Van Dyke Brown Acrylic Paint to the Edges.

Final Thoughts:

I have chosen for my virtual tour of the National Parks mostly mountainous locations as mountain man blood flows through my veins. I grew up in Pennsylvania near the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains the north eastern part of the Appalachian Mountains. The closest national park to where I live currently would be Shenandoah, a place my husband has fond memories of, but where we have never traveled as a couple.  

Geographically our virtual trip would start in The Great Smoky Mountains, I feel I’d be at home here among the landscapes of my ancestors, they go there for the fishing. 

Next up Rocky Mountain National Park, I used to think I knew what mountains were until I saw the Alps in Switzerland and later when I was driving to visit friends in Colorado Springs and I saw the Rocky Mountains on the distant horizon. Hour later I arrive at their home but I am not yet in the Rocky Mountain. Colorado definitely can boast world-renowned scenery. Their peaks are perhaps a too grand for my humble beginnings.

Yellowstone is our next stop and here will see the great bison herds-noted it is the only place in the U.S. where they have lived continuously since prehistoric times. Other mammals you may see here are grizzly bears, wolves, lynx, fox, moose and elk. We will behold its many geysers, none more famous than Old Faithful. There is a “Mini-Me” Grand Canyon here but we will move on the big kahuna, the full monty, the real deal, the boss of deep ditches.

 Upon viewing the Grand Canyon it is said that people are overcome with awe. Its expanse is mind-boggling. Its colors defy the most colorful palette you have ever seen. There are layers upon layers of history and geology to discover. It makes you feel small, sobering to some to know they are not the only being in the universe. It reminds us that we are bart of something bigger than us.  It is said to still you, to calm you, a spirituality flows freely here, your energy may be restored and your spirit may soar.  The landscape is semi-arid, way too hot for my liking so we’ll move on.

Zion Nation Park is a red-rock desert and still too desolate for my liking I would imagine.iT does have Navajo Sandstone Cliffs, pine and juniper clad slopes, springs and waterfalls surrounded by lush and colorful almost hanging gardens. To these I would be drawn as I reminisce a favorite album by at Pueblo Musician and Native American Flute Player, Robert Mirabal - Music From Painted Cave. While is Zion we will be sure to do some hiking and if I were more agile the park boast world famous big wall rock climbs.

Our virtual tour will end here in Yosemite. It is best known for its waterfalls, towering granite monoliths, deep valleys and ancient giant sequoias. An ancient civilization called this place their home-the Anasazi people thrived here around 1,500 BC-traces of their villages, network of road and rock art can be found throughout the park today. Maybe we will catch a glimpse of the largest flying bird in North America-The California Condor. It’s been on the endangered species list since 1967. 

Looking back through the years, thinking of  trips I have taken to places I could only dream of growing up poor in Pennsylvania. I am grateful for eyes left wide open as I glimpsed amazing sights and sounds. Scenes once only black and white photographs in  our well worn World Book Encyclopedias. I still remember the green and off white textured covers with golden lettering on the spines.  For me they were the eyes to the world.