Meet the Maker: visual artist Alice Fitzgerald

Alice Fitzgerald is a Dublin based visual artist and designer. On her website she describes herself as ‘inspired by the organic forms of nature and the geometric shapes of her city life.’ which makes the fact that I asked her to create a print for designist for our wedding collection on a trip to Iveagh Gardens seem particularly apt. 
 

I’ve long been a fan of Alice’s work, having had the good fortune of being in college at the same time as her, and there are few people I know who are as immersed in their material as she is. She trained as a graphic designer and started work on Mongrel magazine, she has worked for design studios such as zero G, as an educator and in her own design & visual arts. 
 

As with the best designers, Alice has the uncanny alchemist's ability to absorb and study the world around her - fashion, trends, taste, design & ideas and reflect it back to you in her work in a way that encapsulates all those things with breathtaking efficiency. She cites modernist and mid-century artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Jean Arp and Matisse as influences. While the minimal abstract style of her prints may at first glance seem simplistic it is anything but that. The restraint required to have every element so correct on the page shows an incredible mastery of image manipulation. Her work has gained growing recognition as it evokes a sense of calm and balance while also remaining visually intriguing - it literally makes you feel better to look at it.
 

In a world of overwhelming inputs the sense of balance in her prints gives you temporary respite from the chaos. 

As she says herself “I take to heart August Endell’s belief that even if abstract forms signify nothing, represent nothing, remind us of nothing, they still have the power arouse our souls as deeply and strongly as any other art form. No matter how simple those forms are, there is always something new to grasp.”

It’d almost be enough to turn you into a minimalist.
 

Alice uses a variety of techniques in her prints, from screen printing to risograph printing, allowing her to create distinctive series, each with their own unique characteristics. Each print is a limited edition, is printed on the highest quality paper and always comes signed and numbered by the artist herself. 
 

Alice's work currently graces some of Ireland's most harmonious homes, and features in the Dublin city council permanent collection. Her instagram is well worth a follow if you enjoy beautiful interiors.