ROANOKE, VA.- Born and raised in Roanoke, artist Eric Fitzpatrick is beloved in southwest Virginia, known for his paintings of landmark buildings, local hangouts, musicians, street scenes, and area personalities. Fitzpatrick has worked as a full-time professional artist for over 35 years. He earned his BA at Virginia Tech, studied painting at the University of Georgia, and completed two fellowships at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. His work is in private, corporate, and museum collections throughout the U.S. and worldwide.

Fascinated by the way Southerners are taught to view their past, Fitzpatrick turns his characteristic style to exploring those defining stereotypes in his Southern Culture Series. Bordering on caricature, this work exaggerates these stereotypes, forcing the viewer to confront their own (often unconscious) cultural assumptions. The exhibition includes 25 oil paintings on canvas, in addition to graphite and charcoal sketches that support the Southern Culture Series. An illustrated catalogue will be produced in conjunction with the exhibition. Each image in the catalogue is accompanied by a candid statement written by the artist about the work.

Fitzpatrick notes, "As the paintings began, they seemed a way to humorously celebrate the quirks and eccentricities of my native South. Only when it was well underway did I realize that this series would dig much deeper, exploring the beliefs and perceptions I absorbed while being raised a Southerner, and the accompanying guilt regarding the actions of my ancestors."

Fitzpatrick maintains a home studio and gallery in Roanoke, Virginia. His work can be viewed online at http://fitzpatrick-art.com/.