Honoring the late Tony Fitzpatrick

Raise a glass, share a story, see some etchings....

This Saturday, June 20, 6-9pm at the CPC printmaking studio. 4912 N Western Ave.

Please join us in honoring and celebrating our dear friend, mentor, printmaker, cheerleader, and collaborator Tony Fitzpatrick. A larger-than-life-personality and creative force, he was a regular here at the shop while he worked on a prodigious output of etchings with Catherine Winings, Duffy O'Connor, and Jack Spector-Bishop. In the late 1990's, he even produced one of his few lithographs (the ever-popular "PINKY") with us in our old studio in East Ukrainian village in collaboration with Tamarind master printer Jeff Sippel.

Much has been written about Tony's muti-hyphenate artist life; as actor, writer, collage maker, mural artist, etc, but we knew him 'round these parts as a PRINTMAKER, making original, gorgeous & inspired marks with an etching needle into asphaltum-covered copper plates, and meticulously working with his printmaker collaborators to proof these creations over months and months to produce the final "right to print" proof that would become the basis of his limited editions. He would obsess over the ink colors or aquatint quality in his complex, multi-plate pieces, and tell a new story with each intimate frame. He once told us that his etchings were his most personal art pieces; a "diary" of his innermost experiences and memories.

In the printshop, Tony would park himself under the skylight for a day of work and have us on the floor with his signature humor and tall tales and often came with an entourage of young artists he was both employing and nurturing along in their careers ("You gotta teach this one etching!!"). He was most generous with CPC members, students, and visitors, often purchasing work on the spot of some young printmaker, which he knew deeply to have a great impact on their confidence. There is evidence of Tony's presence all over the workshop, from his absolutely stunning prints to his ephemera, posters, books and handmade signage ("Make Prints! Don't be an Asshole!"). We still have his favorite print-signing pencil in the drawer. Our love extends to Michele, Gaby and Max and the entire Fitzpatrick family. The big guy left an enormous hole in the heart of our studio.

RIP Tony, we still feel your presence, and listen for you in the song birds you so loved.

The Monoprint exhibition will still be up on the walls this weekend (and we're happy you'll be able to check it out!), but the tables will be full with Tony's proofs and prints and plates, which includes the last print he made with Duffy in his black and red series. Many of his editions were sadly unfinished.

These proofs and plates will be handed over to Tony's family. We hope it will be interesting for folks to see Tony's process, and the time and care he took in developing his images.

Please feel free to bring your own photos and stories to share...

Tony was fiercely in love with his family. He played the part of protective papa bear with a vengence, as we shared the hilarious sorts of stories that went along with having "the most interesting children in all of the Chicagoland area" (to us at least). When we were working on his print PINKY, our kids were all running around while I tried to keep them from eating sawdust or bathing themselves in acid while our musician friends dropped by for a tune or to just hang out. Tony smoked at the time and therefore prided himself that he was the only one to be allowed to do so at CPC (had to keep him away from the sawdust too)...

My children loved Tony, with Daniel seeking him out at "Birds and Beer" events and Evan recently getting Tony's blessing for the cardinal tattoo they now proudly sport on their right shoulder. Outside Daniel's childhood bedroom door, there is the "D" etching (from Max & Gaby's alphabet) that Tony gifted Daniel many years ago. And yes, our kids are now all badasses in their own right, so we were basically correct in thinking they were all better than average. Tony also reminded us often that "Michele saved my life". I have to wholeheartedly agree. 

When I first started CPC, we had conversations that went something like this:

T: So, let me get this straight. You have all these presses and shit, and then you just let anyone come in and use your studio?

D: Well yeah, but first they have to show me that they know what they're doing in printmaking.

T: And then you give them a key to your place?

D: Yep

T: Are you fucking crazy? That's the stupidest thing I ever heard of.

So here we are. I sure do miss that guy. Brutally honest. Heart of gold, generous to a fault.

-Deborah Maris Lader, Founder, CPC