Betty Jo Fitzgerald

ARTIST STATEMENT

Expressing the joy I feel for color and the delight I find in the natural world are the compelling forces in my artwork.I am a colorist with a pattern fetish. I paint whimsical, imagined landscapes, infused with high key color, that are dotted with plant or insect icons. I meld childhood memories with an education in ecology and botany and delight in placing flora and fauna in odd contexts. I take vicarious vacations by painting my knickknacks in exotic destinations. When working in mixed media or printmaking I like to layer. My paintings or monotypes are altered with oil pastel, pencil, watercolor crayons and are collaged with etchings, rice papers or small found objects. Then, I add arbitrary color and paint with a conscious naïveté. The imagery often reflects my concerns about the balance in our ecosystems, without losing my sense of humor. My experimental approach remains focused by my personal vision—to express sensuality, playfulness and magic in my work. I work out of two studios: one west of the Cascades and one east.

 

EDUCATION

2006-75 Master Classes and Workshops in USA and abroad
1992-87 Studied painting & printmaking at Evergreen State College, Olympia
1966 MS, Botany, University of Washington, Seattle, and Costa Rica, Org for Tropical Studies
1963 BS, (magnum cum laude), University of N. California, Chico

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Since 1995 Who's Who in American Art, Marquis Who's Who, New Providence, NJ;
Retired Lecturer & Teacher at art workshops
2000 Centrum Residency & Printmaking Teacher
1999-00 President, Northwest Watercolor Society, V. Pres., 1998 & Signature Member since 1986
1999-01 Treasurer, Women Painters of Washington, President, 1992-93, elected Member since 1987
1999 Demonstrating Artist for "Celebrating Women in the Arts", Frye Art Museum
1988-98 National Collage Society, Board of Directors, Signature Member since 1989, Guest Lecturer in Art at The Evergreen St College
1963-77 Botany instructor at University of Washington, Seattle University and The Evergreen State College

SELECTED JURIED EXHIBITIONS AND AWARDS

Northwest Watercolor Society's 61st National, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
NW Expressions, 2004,2002,1998,Coos Art Museum , Coos Bay, OR
Northwest Watercolor Society's 60th Retrospective, Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA
Juror's Award Ann'l Juried Show, Carnegie Art Center, Walla Walla, WA
Thunder & Lightning Exhibit, Art Calendar, Salisbury State Univ., Salisbury, MD
Mamaroneck Artists' Guild 36th Nati'l, Westbeth Gallery, New York, NY
11th Greater Midwest Internat'l, Central Missouri Univ. Gallery, Warrensburg, MO
Judges Award Nat'l Collage Society Exhibit & Tour, OH, DC, VA, NC,
45th Pacific NW Arts and Crafts Exhibition, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
National Watercolor Society Annual, Brea Civic Center, Brea, CA
Springfield Art League Nat'l Exhibit, GWV Smith Art Museum, Springfield, MA
Watercolors West, Missoula Museum of Art, Missoula, MT
Art for Environmental Advocacy, Adell McMillan Gallery, Univ. of O, Eugene, OR
Navarro Arts Council National Exhibit, Corsicana, TX
Southwest Washington 40th Exhibition, State Capital Museum, Olympia, WA
Women Painters of Washington Invitational, Linz-on-the-Rhine, Germany
WPWCulture and Agriculture Juried Show, New Visions Gallery, Marshfield, WI
Watercolor Art Society National, Houston, TX
Best of Show,2006, Second Place, 2003 Peninsula Art League, Juried Open Exhibit, Gig Harbor, WA
Whatcom Museum of History & Art, An Enduring Legacy, Women Painters of Washington 1930-2005, Bellingham WA


SELECTED COLLECTIONS

Pullman Regional Hospital, WA
Allen Women's Center, Denver, CO Bank of Louisville, Louisville, KY
City of Olympia Portable Collection, Olympia WA Dr. Mikael Kautsky, DDS, Olympia, WA
Dermatology & Allergy Specialists, Olympia, WA City of Moscow Art Collection, ID
Inter-Fluve Inc, Hood River, OR Lombard Veterinary Clinic, Portland , OR
Music-Vend Distribution Co, Seattle, WA South Sound Therapy Services, Tumwater, WA
North Kansas City Hospital, MO Olympia Golf & Country Club, Olympia, WA
Samsun Medical Center, Santa Barbara, CA USF & G Annapolis, Maryland
School Administration Center, Hampton, PA South Sound Radiologists, Olympia, WA
Gritman Dialysis Center, Moscow, ID Swedish Medical Center Foundation, Seattle, WA
Telco Credit Union, Seattle, WA Univ. of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA
Washington State Ferry System on the "Yakima" US West Marketing Division, Denver , CO