09 Feb 08 by Tom Fitzgerald
Tom Fitzgerald artworks

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Model for consumer recycling unit

The designation "consumer" is now widely used. Is this to be our only function, as human beings? I made this piece as a cautionary tale for would-be "consumers".

Boat used in voyage from A to B
Boat used in voyage from A to B
Boat used in voyage from A to B

Free-standing sculpture

Cathleen Ni Houlihan is denied planning permission for a house in Foxrock
Cathleen Ni Houlihan is denied planning permission for a house in Foxrock
Cathleen Ni Houlihan is denied planning permission for a house in Foxrock

One of a series of slate relief s satirising contemporary Irish life.

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22 Jan 12 23:41

Tom, would you please upload the work Cathleen Ni Houlihan is harassed by old irish saint? I saw it on your website. It's hilarious, yet incisive in it's condemnation of the hipocrisy of the country.

Floor Plan of Heaven
Floor Plan of Heaven
Floor Plan of Heaven

An ephemeral drawing on leaves.

The Red Zoo
The Red Zoo
The Red Zoo

A free-standing sculpture derived from a memory of animals in a cage.

Land Litany
Land Litany
Land Litany

A work done for the Irish Pavilion at EXPO 2000 in Hanover. A series of Irish place names were inscribed in Irish, English and German on the entrance wall. The place names were then interpreted visually over a 35 metre span along an interior wall.

Leaf Litany
Leaf Litany
Leaf Litany

A sculpture commissioned by the University of Limerick. It consists of a tree-like form constructed from leaves emerging from a circular pool.

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10 Feb 08 18:38

Sorry Tom, but you can't just add this one like it was some piece you tossed off last weekend. It's obviously a major statement in an artist's life's work. So first thing, I'd very much want to see close-up's to explore the detail of what you made.
Secondly, how on earth was it constructed? Were you physically there assembling bit-by-bit, or the actual making of the sitework was managed by the university?
Thirdly, the poetry - tell us please about the motivation and ideas behind it.
Also for such a major enterprise, you must have some interesting anecdotes to recount about the process of it's coming into being - the dealings with the commissioner, the casting, transport, assembly etc.
And finally, the reaction - were you happy with the realized work? was it what you expected it to be? what do the students say about it?
Sorry to be such a pain-in-the.. with my questions but we don't often get to see artworks of this magnitude here. Many thanks.

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10 Feb 08 19:54

Thanks for your interest, John-Paul.
I've just joined Art Process (a brilliant site-congratulations) and I'm cross-eyed from manipulating images down to the right size and all that Photoshop stuff so I have to recover before answering your questions. I might do a studio log if I can find all the shots I took at the time. Tom

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10 Feb 08 20:42

Mmm... this work as a studio log would be just wonderful.
Sorry about the need for reducing images - however a low resolution setting of 640 x 480 pixels (or similar) on your digital camera is just fine for the web. Otherwise, reduce the image with your image editing software to about 600 pixels wide, and save it as a jpg/jpeg at 85% quality. That usually works well for me. And yes, it sure does make for cross-eyed complaints.
One reflection I'd like to add is that I'm quite used to artists asking me to remove all traces of their work from the site as now they've a gallery/dealer who wants sole ownership of reproduction rights of their art. This I (happy for them) do, and wish them well and success with their future career.
In this case however, you're obviously a well-established, and celebrated artist, and not in need of showing your work with artprocess. I'm honoured by your decision to reverse the trend of disappearing "success" by registering, fiddling about with photoshop for our benefit, and demonstrating that generosity of spirit (that I want to believe is the sign of a true artist) to communicate with your fellow practitioners, irrespective of notions of consolidating a career (whatever that means).

Lost World
Lost World
Lost World

One of a number of works I've done based on house-forms.

Tobacco Industry supplies Adam & Eve with lung by-pass technology
Tobacco Industry supplies Adam & Eve with lung by-pass technology
Tobacco Industry supplies Adam & Eve with lung by-pass technology

A drawing illustrating the benevolence of the tobacco industry from day one.

The Sleeping Gypsy - some hours later
The Sleeping Gypsy - some hours later
The Sleeping Gypsy - some hours later

In this drawing, I've taken Rousseau's famous painting to its logical conclusion

The Absent Philosopher
The Absent Philosopher
The Absent Philosopher

A mixed media installation for a new space in Limerick City Gallery of Art.

A memorial to the Philosopher's Socks is finally unveiled by the Mayor
A memorial to the Philosopher's Socks is finally unveiled by the Mayor
A memorial to the Philosopher's Socks is finally unveiled by the Mayor

Mixed media drawing on paper. I have been following the adventures of the Philosopher's socks for a while now.

Bone-body
Bone-body
Bone-body

Shield-like bronze wall-work alluding to the human spine.

The Celtic Tiger expires having eaten Eircom shareholders
The Celtic Tiger expires having eaten Eircom shareholders
The Celtic Tiger expires having eaten Eircom shareholders

A satirical drawing on life in contemporary Ireland

The Numbers Game
The Numbers Game
The Numbers Game

Sculpture commissioned for Limerick County Council Headquarters. Two faces spouting numbers at each other - a comment on bureaucracy.

The Storm
The Storm
The Storm

Painting. Part of a series titled: "Of Sites and Incidents"

The Ministry of Oil and the Ministry of Dust
The Ministry of Oil and the Ministry of Dust
The Ministry of Oil and the Ministry of Dust

Drawing on paper. This drawing was done as a comment on the invasion of Iraq.

The Abduction
The Abduction
The Abduction

Painting. Part of the series: "Of Sites and Incidents"

Apparatus No. 13 (Arch)
Apparatus No. 13  (Arch)
Apparatus No. 13 (Arch)

Sculpture. One of Apparatus Series

The Politics of Being
The Politics of Being
The Politics of Being

Sculpture

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28 Jun 09 11:08

A lyrical piece I would say, evoking a natural joy and pantheistic acceptance of all things that pass. If it describes your inner self Tom, then you've done well indeed.
Were it me, I'd add "TO FALL AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND YET AGAIN,..."

It's good to see more sculpture to counterract the domination of painters on the site :o).

Thanks for posting this work.

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30 Jun 09 14:16

Its always interesting to hear another person's take on your work - thanks for that, John-Paul. This piece is not really a description of my inner self though.
It has two main concerns - the possibility of confounding the viewer's understanding of materials, in that you have a heavy wood wedge supported by a thin sheet of glass, while the text provides a detached summary of life's possibilities.
As is the case with non-literal artworks, its open to many interpretations.

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30 Jun 09 20:19

..Which probably goes to show you're a cold-hearted, cynical bastard just like the rest of us.
And there I was thinking we'd have some purity of thought to enlighten this angst-ridden company!
:)

Nice work nevertheless, Mr. Fitz.

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01 Jul 09 15:09

I haven't detected too much angst in the Art Process community or have I been reading the wrong comments?
I'll upload some more optomistic images shortly to raise your spirits, John-Paul.

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01 Jul 09 23:06

No Tom, instead you're perfectly correct. Although I suspect we've got quite a bunch of artists who've been given a raw deal, and are in many ways suffering because of it, on this site, they remain quite boringly polite and asthetically neutral in their judgement.
I'm sure that were they to speak what they really felt, there'd be a lot more lively argument to participate in around here.
Unfortunately the result is a mismatch between image and behaviour that personally I find impossible to reconcile. Therefore I maintain we're still pretty much an angry, pissed-off, easily-dismissed crowd, that somehow continue in our insistance that what we do HAS WORTH - but for some reason that I still don't understand - given the opportunity we behave like the perfect guest: "Oh that's so nice", "How pretty" etc.

Don't you long to hear an informed, intelligent, contentious contradiction of the trite image upload devoid of explanation, followed by an "I like it" comment?
Maybe instead of trying so hard to be provocative with our public, the artist would obtain more reward by speaking out amongst his/her fellow artists?

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04 Jul 09 19:07

Welcome aboard Tom. Yours is an observation we have made in the past and there has been some discussion about the type of comments exchanged here (read the forum Artists' Cafe under "What do you do and why do you do it"). Time has shown that there come periods of active, fruitful interaction and there come times when everyone retreats to the studio instead of sitting in front of a pc. Maybe we are going through one of these times (at least I am). Anyway it is good to hear JP angry about it. It means you are back in arms my friend?

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05 Jul 09 11:52

Well, Maria and JP, I suppose when we comment on another artist's work, we need to be critical but supportive.
We are, after all, responding to an image on a PC screen, not the real thing.
Speaking as a sculptor primarily, I know that an image of a three-dimensional work provides insufficient data to evaluate it adequately.
A sculpture that occupies the same space as the viewer,
demands a full, kinaesthetic response to its material and spatial existence, something you can't get from a photograph.

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17 Jul 09 20:03

I agree about the insufficient data but I think it goes for painting as well. By the way, have you seen Teresa A Mills' work here in ArtProcess? If not look her up. I think you might like her work. I do very much and yes, I do wish I could walk around it.

Floor plan of Heaven with emergency escape capsule
Floor plan of Heaven with emergency escape capsule
Floor plan of Heaven with emergency escape capsule

Mixed media drawing on paper. One of a series of works resulting from an on-going investigation into the architecture of Heaven.

Cathleen Ni Houlihan is harassed by Old Irish Saint
Cathleen Ni Houlihan is harassed by Old Irish Saint
Cathleen Ni Houlihan is harassed by Old Irish Saint

One of a series of slate discs commenting on events in Ireland in a satirical way. Throughout history Gaelic poets have personified Ireland as a woman and Cathleen Ni Houlihan is one of her many names.

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24 Jan 12 23:28

Rather more sexual abuse than harassment I'd say. A witty testimony to the corruption of all-too-recent absolute authority. Thanks for uploading this work Tom. I like it better the more I look at it. I love the understated lyrical lines and the iconographic imagery stolen directly from source. And slate? I've never seen that used before. As a material it looks beautifully solemn. How difficult is it to work with?
So who bought it in the end - the banker or the local bishop? :)

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13 Feb 12 13:47

Apologies for my belated reply, JP.
I seem to be running out of the necessary brain cells for writing, I'm OK doing most other things though (I think).
I've used slate quite a bit in my work over the years. Its very good for doing low relief work or text. Its easy enough to use and takes a very fine finish.
I'm afraid neither bishops nor bankers are in the market for art anymore, particularly my work as I've been taking them to task recently in a series of drawings called The Celtic Zoo.
I'll upload a few for your delectation when I have sorted out the large backlog of things I'm supposed to have done.