Dark Green ink on Heather Green tshirt.
Design by Dag Juhlin
Artist Statement:
The unfathomable loss of artist/poet/writer/film critic/actor/defender of birds and dogs/proud family man/philosopher/übermensch Tony Fitzpatrick was a gut punch that, while hitting hardest in Chicago, was felt the world over, and will continue to resonate for the foreseeable future. Big hearted, curious, passionate, filter-free, and always in forward motion, Tony also had one of the most finely-tuned BS detectors ever. How on earth do you sum this man up? You don't -- you just try and pay tribute to him every day, in any way you can -- by expressing yourself without apology, by nurturing your creativity in all its forms, by speaking truth to power, by battling your demons with bare knuckles and vulnerability, by making time for a friend, by not looking past the underserved, and by going to a movie in the middle of the afternoon. This shirt is a tribute to his "T. F." business card, the coolest ever. And this is me, still shaking my head at his cruelly early departure, raising my glass to the sky, wishing we'd seen that ELO concert together, remembering his words of encouragement during our last hang, and speaking for all of us when I say, "Tony f'n Fitzpatrick".