Inside the Studio

Visit with Fitzhugh Karol

Three abstract wire sculptures on top of a wooden table in artist Fitzhugh Karol's workshop.

Working across a range of media from paper, clay, and wood, to monumentally-scaled steel, Fitzhugh Karol is interested in translating his experience of the natural world into pictographic symbols.

Artist Fitzhugh Karol crouched on the floor of his studio placing abstract wooden pieces on top of each other.

Two wall-based sculptures with jagged edges leaning against a white wall in artist Fitzhugh Karol's studio.

A close-up of a wooden wall sculpture by artist Fitzhugh Karol.

Created for Mapping the Margin, Fitzhugh's "Wings" series combines abstracted forms to reference the landscape using a variety of different woods and finishes.

My wooden sculptures blend rigid stepped shapes with organic portals to create abstracted forms that reference the landscape. This series incorporates multiple forms into each piece to add another dimension to the works.
Fitzhugh Karol

Artist Fitzhugh Karol holding an abstract, hand-carved wooden sculpture in his studio.

Oversized cedar sculpture leaning against a window in artist Fitzhugh Karol's workshop.

A close-up of an unstained wooden sculpture by artist Fitzhugh Karol.

By combining iconography that usually exists in his practice on their own, Fitzhugh has created new relationships between the forms, with the contrast in color, texture, and elevation mimicking the diversity of the landscape.

In these wood works, I explore the theme of man's imprint on the natural world through geometric shapes reminiscent of familiar landscapes.
Fitzhugh Karol

Artist Fitzhugh Karol holding a black wooden sculpture inside of his studio.

A tabletop wire sculpture by artist Fitzhugh Karol on a wooden table in his studio.

Artist Fitzhugh Karol holding a tall wire sculpture in his studio.

Working in metal, wood and ceramic, Fitzhugh’s sculptures activate the space they inhabit whether they are installed in a natural landscape or positioned on a shelf at home.

My wire and tabletop steel works are exercises of drawing in space. They're playful abstract landscapes and, for most of them, I imagine myself in miniature and the combinations towering above me. They force you to consider all angles and vantage points.
Fitzhugh Karol