Exhibit Archives
March 1 - 26
THE HEALING JOURNEY
Triumph over Tragedy
Debi Fitzgerald – Young’s Point
A series of acrylic paintings created to help people move from grieving and loss to new beginnings.
Artist Statement
The Healing Journey paintings originated as I made my own personal journey of triumph over tragedy. My emotional journey, as depicted in my paintings, have struck a common chord with many other people who are experiencing loss or have in the past.
The Healing Journey paintings have led to me facilitating workshops, centred around the exhibit, for social service groups who help others, such as Palliative Care, Hospice, Survivors of Suicide, Women’s Shelters, Wellness Clinics and many more.
Art as therapy and a tool for healing is not new, but exhibiting my art for this purpose has become a rewarding part of my life now.
It has given me a new and beautiful direction for my artwork. My most recent paintings depict how the encountering of storms with new strengths and awareness offers hope to those who are having difficulty finding their way.
Debi Fitzgerald
Artist Biography
Debi Fitzgerald evolved as an artist through her love of nature and animals. She began her career at the age of 12 drawing animal portraits in charcoal. With determination and dedication, she went on to teach herself how to draw and paint using several different media. As a result, she is comfortable using a variety of media when creating her art.
As Debi evolved, so did her works of art. During her 34-year art career, she has been given a variety of titles based on her subject matter. In the 70s, she was know as the “Rose Lady”, then became the “Wolf Lady” in the 80s. Her works became known for their dramatic images. She gained popularity worldwide not only in galleries, but also for her role as a fundraiser for many charities and conservation groups. In the 90s, she won the title of National Artist for Ducks Unlimited Canada in 1991 and 1996. Her dedication continued to go beyond the canvas as she gave freely of her time and her work to help hospitals, special needs children and many more charities too numerous to mention.
During this time, she was commissioned by several large corporations to depict their dreams and aspirations on canvas. She thus gained recognition and respect in the corporate world. Locally, framed prints of her works hang in the offices of Women’s Resources in Lindsay.
Her works have become part of prestigious art collections throughout the world, including Buckingham Palace. She has traveled extensively while painting during her career.
She was born in England, has lived in Australia, but spends most of her time between Canada and the United States. She lives in a rural lakeside area in a log home built in 1825.
Her evolution from painter of the natural world to a purveyor of visual messages that comfort and challenge is a refreshing and inspiring new direction in the last ten years.
