Mandy Fitzgerald has been an artist since she traced the characters out of a Lion King coloring book. She knew what she wanted to do with her life, and that was keep on creating.
Mandy grew up in Richmond. She graduated from VCU School of the Arts with a BFA in painting and printmaking, and a minor in art history. She is the creator of the “Artists to Know” interview series, where she interviews a different artist or entrepreneur every month on their process and day to day life. Her blog is sponsored by paint manufacturer, DecoArt, and in 2015 she was named “Visual Artist of the Year” by RAW: natural born artists.
Mandy’s gallery work has appeared in public and private shows along the east coast, and in the Washington Post and Richmond Magazine. She’s also an organizer in the art community, serving as the lead coordinator for MarketPlace RVA in 2016. She is the artist behind a new series of Fanatical Artworks pieces, featuring iconic locations around Richmond, done in her architectural style. All that is coming soon!
Initially focused on realistic illustration, she started her art business in 2007. She drew portraits of babies by commission through the website that her dad, a small business owner himself, helped her set up. Mandy fell into painting when she got to college. Over the years, Mandy has grown into an abstract style that’s all her own.
“I’m working on a series right now thats super, super personal. I have severe OCD, so I have been wanting to make this series about anti-depressants, psychiatrists and doctors. Finally being able to create a visual form of whats happening in my brain is what’s happening right now, and I’m really proud of being able to show what it feels like inside my head.”
Much of Mandy’s work is based off her experience with mental illness, and she is an advocate for removing the stigma that surrounds it.
“I started my blog five years ago and only wrote about happy things. And I got this following of people from high school, college, friends of friends, and I had all these people following me. I felt that it was kind of phony, like the Instagram version of your life, where everything is beautiful.”
For Mandy, painting is a form of therapy just as much as a means to make a living. Authenticity is a staple of her process.
“I’m a super emotional person. I dive in as much as possible, because I feel like people will see through me if I’m not authentic while I’m creating the piece. I have to feel how the painting looks.”
One of her greatest accomplishments is the ability to be open and honest about herself, which allows others to do the same.
“Now that I’m becoming less ashamed of talking about my problems, the more I talk about it, the better I feel. Other people are telling me they feel better reading my stuff, just knowing that they’re not the only ones who feel like that.”
You can check out her website here
Mandy will be showing work at The Gallery at UNOS starting July 7th. You can find the Facebook page here
She is also part of a show on August 3rd called Makers Market, you can check out the Facebook page here