An Exhibition of Artworks by Gerald Fritzler
May 2 – June 16
First Friday opening June 2

This very special exhibition titled "CROSSROADS" is a glimpse into my career and journey as an artist. For over four decades I have built a nationally known career as one of the country’s top watercolor artists. Today, I continue my artistic journey toward Abstract Expressionism. Years of work have informed and allowed me the complete freedom of the creative process along with the knowledge of color, composition, and design. Now, instead of painting a specific scene or subject, the painting itself takes over and arrives at its effect. I don't think about or plan the painting but instead let it come together based on my feeling. Abstraction to me is about the exciting emotional response of brushwork, color, and the surface texture created during the moment you express your feeling on the canvas.

My skill and love for the watercolor medium developed during my studies at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, under the instruction of Irving Shapiro and Bill Parks. After completing my studies at the Academy, a move north to Milwaukee landed me an Illustrator’s position at an established art studio where I continued to hone my talent and skills on a commercial level. A few years later I left the commercial art field to pursue my goal as a full-time watercolor artist and paint the world as I responded to it. My watercolors are a slice of my life, a personal view of the natural beauty of the landscape and the world that I have experienced in my travels both at home and abroad.

Included in this exhibition are some privately collected watercolors that have not been seen in public, watercolor landscapes and European scenes, and a group of motorcycle-inspired works based from my riding travels and friendships over recent years. I hope you enjoy the exhibition.

Image: Gerald Fritzler, Twister, detail