Kat Fitzpatrick is an artist who has traveled an unusual path. Twenty years ago, Kat saw a tiny image of a painting in “Art Forum” magazine. The medium was described as “encaustic”, a term unfamiliar to her. She was captivated. The painting’s transparent surface created an illusion of depth and a remarkable luminosity. Further research revealed encaustic to be an ancient medium (almost 2000 years old) once popular in Egypt, now being rediscovered by 21st century artists. Jasper Johns was an early user of this fragrant medium. Kat’s newfound passion led to the study of traditional icon writing (some of the earliest encaustic paintings were a mixture of beeswax, damar crystals and pigment), backyard beekeeping and to the teaching of workshops around the country. In her 2, 3 and 5-day workshops, beginners as well as seasoned artists have found new creative pathways for personal expression through encaustic techniques.

Kat Fitzpatrick balances a busy schedule of painting and teaching in her “Katfish Studio” (located in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi) with time on the road, teaching workshops. One of her most popular offerings is the opportunity to stay in her 117 year old “Studio House”. Artists can enjoy a retreat that includes exotic home cooking, time for creating in the encaustic studio, use of the “temple”, a screened house with cathedral ceilings, suitable for meditation, drawing or sleeping, and a parterre garden. Guests enjoy a private living room, bedroom and bath as well as access to the studio, located in the old beaded board kitchen of the 1905 home. A private front porch with a swing overlooking the garden is available for the enjoyment and privacy of visiting artists. Optional sunrise photo tours are available for the asking.

A daily practice of rising before dawn and photographing and sharing images from her neighborhood at the edge of the Bay of St. Louis not only fuels her sense of community but provides inspiration for her paintings. Fitzpatrick’s paintings have been featured on MSNBC’s “Rising from Ruin” web series, “Mississippi Roads”, Public Broadcasting’s “Southern Expressions”, Public Radio Mississippi’s “Arts Hour”, “South Mississippi.

AMOR FATI is a Latin phrase meaning “love of one’s life or fate”. It describes an attitude where we see what happens to us, including suffering and loss, as a good and necessary part of existence. It is not merely acceptance of what is, but a wholehearted embrace. One of the bounties of aging is the evolution of the long view. As cycles of birth and death, love, loss and growth stretch out over many seasons, the “Why me?” of our 20’s and 30’s is replaced by ”Why NOT me?” A hurricane that strips us bare of all notions of security can open a path to doing what we have always dreamt of, but thought impossible. My full surrender into living an artist’s life began in 2005. I have thanked and cursed Katrina many times, but gratitude describes the distilled essence of that experience.

The paintings in this show, “AMOR FATI” are stories of how I have been shaped by surprises and choices, both dark and light. There is no one way or one style of painting that can do justice to the story. The dynamic relationship between light and shadow in moody landscapes is inspired by my daily, pre-dawn photo practice. I share these images with my community and each day the ingredients for a new painting appear. I am a faithful witness to the daily gifts of sunrise and when I am lucky, sunset.

Realistic torsos as well as fantasy figures are also part of “AMOR FATI”. The beauty of a human body defined by natural light or the brilliant colors that dance together only in my imagination are part of the storyteller’s tools.

The paintings in this show are made with melted beeswax, damar crystals and pigment. The encaustic medium is kept fluid on a heat tray, then painted warm onto birch panels. Each layer is fused to the one beneath with a torch. Artists were using this medium in Egypt almost 2000 years ago. It is fragrant and remarkably durable. It can withstand temperatures up to 160 degrees.

My wish for all of us is to find a way to live in a state of constant wonder, embracing all that our lives have to offer. 

AMOR FATI