Hillsborough Artist Receives County Award

A year that included an apprenticeship and creating a portrait for Hillsborough’s Township Art Gallery has one more honor for home-schooled artist Kathleen Fritz.

She’s been named one of the 2011 Aspiring Young Artists by the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission, as part of  its annual Excellence in the Arts awards.

The Excellence in Art awards program honor organizations and individuals who show leadership and dedication to the fine and performing arts in Somerset County.

After first receiving a year-long apprenticeship with Kevin Murphy, director of the Art Academy of Hillsborough, Fritz unveiled her portrait of Doris Duke at the Hillsborough Township Art Show in February.

“At the beginning I had no idea what the apprenticeship would come to,” she said. “Now, in hindsight, I can see so many doors have been opened. I’m still surprised when things like this award happen,”

Though she’s completed the apprenticeship, she’s continued her pursuit of art. The improvements she’s seen are a direct result of the mentoring, she added.

 “During the apprenticeship, I learned so much and there was a huge jump in my skill level,” she said. So now that the apprenticeship is over, I’ve had more time to experiment with things and continue improving. Now that I have a really good foundation, it’s a lot of trial and error with different techniques.”

Her success and experience shaped the direction she’ll pursue—entering the workforce as a portrait artist immediately after finishing high school, she said.

“I wanted to be an artist from the start, but I didn’t know what specific area of art I wanted to go into,” she said. “Now I have a definite direction‑portraiture.  I’m not planning to go to college or art school. I’m planning to continue painting commissioned portraits and once I graduate from high school, that will be my full-time career.”