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Tony Fitzpatrick
"The Slugger"
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"King Stinky"
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As a self taught artist, Fitzpatrick rejects being labeled as a "Folk" or "Outsider" artist. Fitzpatrick says, "There are two kinds of art, there is good art and there is bad art." "Any time they get anyone working out of the mainstream it's an easy tag." Fitzpatrick's work is a mesmerizing blend of technical proficiency and soul. There is seemingly innocent cartoon-like imagery while a deeper conflict is told through a "little narrative." A perfect example is the series "Nickel History." The series consists of ten tiny works, each a novel in themselves. Fellow Chicago artist Ed Paschke, describes his work as "...autobiographical. It's in the true spirit of what art is all about. It is an extension of him."

Tony Fitzpatrick's works are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami. Fitzpatrick can be labeled as "multi-talented." He had his own spot on a Chicago radio station for eight years and books of poems with artworks published. He did the cover art for the Neville Brothers "Yellow Moon" album (nominated for Diamond Award, Best Album Cover), Lou Reed's "Big Cat" and Steve Earle's "El Corazon" album cover. He won a Jefferson Award for portraying the murderer James Huberty in the play he also scripted, "Mass Murderer." He even had roles in the movies "Philadelphia," "Primal Fear," "Married to the Mob" and others.