Artist Spotlight: Erin Fitzpatrick

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Erin Fitzpatrick’s portraits are lush and full of color.  I LOVE everything about them – the colors, the patterns, the energy.  When looking in her subject’s soulful eyes it’s almost as if they are speaking directly to you.

Erin is a Baltimore native and graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art.  She started painting portraits in 2008 and has a significant body of work.  I am delighted I was able to ask Erin a few questions about her inspiration and process to share with you here.  Enjoy!

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  1. When did you first get interested in painting?
    I have been interested in making images since I was young, 5 years old or so. I developed my skills in high school and art school, but I didn’t really start painting until about 12 years ago. Before that, I was mostly drawing. Now I paint almost every day.

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  2. How did you settle on portraiture and painting icons?  How do you decide on subject matter?I’ve always been interested in making portraits because there is an unlimited supply of subject matter.  People are so interesting and I love meeting new people whenever possible. I can paint a portrait that aims to show the soul of the subject, or I can use a model to create a character. The icons are more for fun. I only sell those paintings once in a while because they are painted from found images. One day I hope to be at the level where I’m meeting these people and photographing them myself.  I have been thinking about creating limited edition boxes that include an icon painting and other handmade items, but that concept is still in the works.

    As far as choosing my subjects, these days the majority of my paintings are by commission, so the subjects are clients. When I choose someone for a personal work, I usually have some kind of mood board for the painting and I seek out friends or people on social media to model. As far as the icons I’ve chosen to paint, sometimes I select them based on a striking image and sometimes because I’m a fan. When I painted Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg, it was because I was possibly going to have the chance to meet Martha and I wanted to give her something cool (I did meet her and give her the painting!)

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  3. You use lush colors and often have gorgeous patterns in your paintings.  Have you always been attracted to colors and patterns?It’s funny. I took more classes in the fibers department than I did painting in art school. I took 4 semesters of weaving, not to mention several other classes in the department versus only two painting classes. I learned to dye and create textiles and studied textile design from many different cultures. At some point I asked myself, if you love this type of imagery, why aren’t you painting it? After that, pattern and color became an integral part of my work.

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  4. As someone who loves colors and patterns myself (August Table is all about patterns!), how do you decide which pattern to use in a painting and where do you get your inspiration?When I work with a client, I ask them about color scheme (what will look awesome in their homes) and then I make a digital collage with ideas for their patterns. We work together to select what will look best in their custom portrait. When I make my own work, I build a small set for my model to pose in. The “wallpapers” are either textiles that I’ve hung or paper that I’ve hand painted. In my last large work, I spent 20 hours hand painting a wallpaper for the photo shoot. It’s kind of tropical and was inspired by a trip to Cuba.

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  5. What is something fun about you that no one knows?I’ve always been a traveler. As soon as I was old enough to go somewhere on my own (17 yrs) I started exploring the country. I did two summers of Dead tour and had many adventures (and misadventures…like unknowingly spending the night with a cult in Nashville). I also got stranded in Mississippi once (22yrs) and lived in The Ole Miss Motel for a month. I still have this sense of adventure.

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Hi! I’m Erin. I decided to get rid of the stuffy third person bio and just tell you a little about myself. I’ve been painting (mostly) portraits since 2008 and now have collectors around the world. I create artworks of my own design as well as custom paintings by commission. This is my full-time job and I am currently booked for over a year (my clients are awesome).

I’ve painted a mural for Senator Kamala Harris and Martha Stewart owns one of my paintings! Oh yeah, so does Ringo Starr…like of The Beatles! How wild is that?

I love textiles, plants, patterns and interior design, and these themes often make it into my oil paintings. For my personal work, I actually build a set for the photo shoot to create a reference image, often handcrafting the items like rugs and wallpaper.

Summertime and travel are my favorite things, so you’ll catch me enjoying one of the two if I’m not painting my fingers off in my studio. The best place to check out my latest work is on my Instagram @fitzbomb

Cozy Blueberry Crisp

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Cozy, you might ask?  Yes, indeed, every bite of this blueberry crisp is pure cozy, comfort for me.  All summer long I love making berry crisps with whatever fruit I have on hand, mouthfuls of warm delicious fruit with a sweet crisp oat topping.

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My favorite go to is a blueberry crisp – blueberries are packed with nutrients so while this is dessert you can feel still really good about eating it.  Eat it on its own, pair it with vanilla ice cream, or greek yogurt.  When there are leftovers, I love it with vanilla or honey greek yogurt the next morning.

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Ingredients:

  • 6 cups fresh blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 lemon – for lemon zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:

  • 1 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.  Prepare casserole dish (2 qt baking dish, 9″x9″ or similar) by spraying with coconut spray or pam.

  1. Grate the rind of the lemon to get 3/4 teaspoon of zest plus squeeze half the lemon juice.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, toss the blueberries with the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, vanilla and cinnamon.  Place in your prepared dish.
  3. Combine the butter, oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon until crumbled.  Sprinkle over blueberries and press down slightly.
  4. Bake 35 – 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly on the sides. Cool slightly and serve warm by itself, with a vanilla ice cream or greek yogurt.

Enjoy!

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Carrie Allen created this site as a way for people to share stories about things they love.  She loves chasing quiet, authentic moments and sharing them with her family and friends.  Read more about her inspiration here. 

More joy, more laughter, more love

Collectively, we are all going through a difficult time right now.  When things get difficult, regardless of what is at the root of it, I think the only salve is to create opportunities for more joy, more laughter and more love.  Connections are a basic human need.  We need each other.  For me, connections at the table with an amazing meal, simple or complex with friends and family all around, is grounding and lifts my spirits.

Think of your most memorable meals throughout your life.  Chances are there was delicious food, coupled with emotions and connections.  Perhaps there were tears, or belly aching laughter, mixed with love, friendship and contentment. To be sure, stories were told. Memories were created.

Since I am a trained artist, I approach entertaining, setting the table, menu creation and cooking all with an artist’s sensibility. I love layers, whether I am painting or setting the table.  Layers of colors, textures, flavors and sensations.  In fact, I created the term “Luxe Farmhouse” for August Table specifically to mean layers of rustic charm and simplicity mixed with elements of surprise, whether it’s a glint of shining metal and something sparkly and luxe, or a burst of intense flavor paired with a simple staple.

This weekend, try to connect with others.  Meet outside and bring your masks, practice social distancing for sure.  Studies are showing that it’s far less likely that you will get COVID-19 if you are outside, where there is a breeze.  If meal prep is not something you want to do right now, you can buy simple ingredients and assemble them in a beautiful way, or simply just buy a loaf of bread, cheese and grapes.  Break bread with others.  It’s been too long cooped up in our homes without connections.

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Photo by Inspired by This

Wishing you love, laughter and joy this weekend,
Carrie

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Carrie Allen created this site as a way for people to share stories about things they love.  She loves chasing quiet, authentic moments and sharing them with her family and friends.  Read more about her inspiration here.