Fitch Eaton is a northwest Pennsylvania-based painter and sculptor whose works explore the relationships between society, self-discovery, and mental health. Their pieces discuss topics such as self-harm, depression, anxiety, relationship dynamics, and the way that mental illnesses are perceived and understood by the general public. Using common objects such as cups and mugs, Fitch counters widely-held beliefs around function, creating works that are deemed “unusable,” “inconvenient,” or “bothersome,” reflecting the views that society has of those who suffer from mental illnesses and the effects they have on the people around them. Their paintings, ceramic works, and digital pieces use vibrant colors and color blocking to contrast the darker themes and topics surrounding anger, sadness, the desire to belong, and the need to constantly put on a happy face for the rest of the world. 

Fitch has a background in history, particularly in Classical Greek, Roman, and Eastern European Cold War narratives. Because of their historical background, Fitch takes a more orthographic approach to art, creating each work as if it were a blueprint. Fitch’s work specifically targets the rigidity of schematics and planned views or perceptions, and their works look as though they are unfinished and unpolished. Fitch’s sculptural work includes a wooden statue titled Me. Wood is traditionally seen as a utilitarian commodity, used by nations and empires to build their foundations. This belief in strength is challenged by the sculpture, which uses wood in order to give the impression of the frailty and messy nature of human beings. Fitch’s background also includes psychology, specifically focusing on the breakdown and simplification of the functions of certain mental illnesses, such as depression or anxiety. Their works use colors and motifs that symbolize the various aspects of different illnesses and disabilities.

One theme prevalent in Fitch’s work is the idea of constant motion, and how constant motion is needed in order to grow. Fitch is able to show that humans are always in motion and are always growing through the connections they form with others, even when the world around them is static and stationary. By using a Polaroid camera without a working flash function, Fitch’s photographs convey a sense of chaos and urgency in the human subjects, who are constantly shifting positions, changing, and deepening their connections with other humans; The inanimate objects in the background remain motionless, and therefore are unable to change and grow in meaningful ways. When the photographs are of purely static objects, then the meaning of the photographs shift to explain the potentially overpowering nature of light in a space filled with darkness. In regards to their physical artworks, Fitch assembles their clay sculptures in purposefully chaotic and confusing ways in order to highlight the messiness of everyday life when living with mental illnesses. 

Fitch’s works also explore the transference of tangible or physical items in digital spaces and transferring those objects back into the real world, depicting digital (intangible) items, such as no texture grids, as painted (tangible) objects. The works include other objects, such as eyeballs being replaced by flowing waterfalls of darkness, or the main subject being replaced by an “Image Not Found” pop-up, in order to convey the message that while the objects themselves hold meaning and power, replacing and concealing them also holds a certain level of power. By replacing or covering the objects, Fitch demonstrates that the meaning behind those objects can be transferred, and that their surface-level meaning can be pushed aside to see what lies underneath.