From June 3-28, 2011, Troika Gallery in Easton features its annual show of exciting new works by renowned painter Kevin Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is a nationally recognized tonalist whose dedicated collectors span the globe. His sought after, evocative landscapes and moody seascapes have been described as compelling, daunting, complicated, and peaceable.

Tonalism is characterized by an overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist, dominated by shadowy, neutral hues. Citing the 19th century Romantics and Tonalists as inspiration, Fitzgerald’s work is both assuaging and triumphant in depicting the “divine landscape” of the Great Mid-Atlantic region. He draws his inspiration and subject matter from what he calls “an ocean of miracles that surrounds us and covers us in its beauty at every moment.” These stirring paintings envelop the viewer into this miraculous world.

Less is more in Fitzgerald’s eyes. “Be brief,” he says. “Use the least to say the most.” His minimalist style aims to engage the painting and the viewer in a “silent dialogue.” In this discourse, “the viewer is moved by the image alone, not by what the image depicts. The key is the imagination and its vocabulary of remembrance, hope, love, beauty and longing.”

Fitzgerald has been painting for more than 30 years. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1953, he began painting in early childhood and went on to study at the Corcoran School of Art, the Maryland Institute College of Art, and George Washington University. He completed his graduate studies on a 54 foot barge that he restored and converted into a floating studio, from which he painted on the Patuxent River and surrounding Southern Maryland landscapes. Fitzgerald’s mentor is Raoul Middleman, a master painter from Baltimore who is also represented by Troika Gallery. Fitzgerald has participated in numerous one person and group shows and his work is included in private collections throughout the United States, Canada, England, and Germany.

Troika Gallery will host a reception on opening night, Friday, June 3 during Easton’s First Friday Gallery Walk , from 5-9pm. Refreshments will be served and Fitzgerald will host a Q&A session at 7pm. Troika Gallery is located at 9 S. Harrison St. in downtown Easton. For more information, call 410.770.9190 or visit www.troikagallery.com.

Painting: “Wheatfield Sky” by Kevin Fitzgerald