Tony Fitzpatrick Black Dog

Illustration of a large black dog with darker black spots and sharp teeth. Bottom of the image has a chain-linked fence on the right and left corners, a white cross on yellow background in the middle, two yellow crosses on the right. On the middle right side there is a white figure with two faces/heads in black hats, a black bowtie and four black buttons. On the upper left there is another white figure in a black hat with bowtie and three black buttons.

Tony Fitzpatrick is a Chicago based artist who essentially began his art career in the 1980s drawing with colored pencils in a store front gallery in Villa Park, Illinois. Fitzpatrick would draw during the day and work as a bartender across the street at night. Tony’s art is influenced, inspired by, and sometimes features, Chicago sports and figures. Tony is also drawn to the darker sides of society and often displays it in his compositions. In 1992, Tony was able to open his printmaking studio, which he called Big Cat Press. Fitzpatrick initially worked in the medium of drawing and printmaking and has most recently switched to drawing/collages. The collages often feature a large central figure that is either drawn or ephemeral. Smaller representations surround the large central figure. The subjects that Tony features are usually Chicago and memories of his father as well as New Orleans, superheroes, New Orleans, and hobo culture and symbols.

This particular image is called “Gray Dog in the Service of Ghosts.” This image was published on Tony Fitzpatrick’s blog on September 3, 2011. This etching, done in the style of his collages, is part of his “Nickle History” collection. Fitzpatrick created these art works so that they could be accessible to a less affluent community of people. For more information about this collection of art, watch a video of Tony Fitzpatrick discussing his creative process and this particular collection.