Paddy uses painting and drawing to explore contemporary and historical social issues. His particular focus is how these issues intersect with concepts of place and identity.
A regular theme is the built environment and in this he explores the way architecture and place combine to effect health. In this way Paddy interrogates the social and cultural values that are reflected in the architecture and urban planning of our cities.
His distinctive urban landscapes depict the seemingly mundane backdrop to everyday life. But they really represent a way of investigating how place intersects with the Social Determinants of Health. By looking at themes of housing, transport, education and social connection Paddy creates links between seemingly different places, people and objects.
In the 2025 series Jane Austen Versus… Paddy challenges the common perception of Austen as merely a romance novelist. Through the series he highlights Austen’s keen social insight and her critique of the societal structures of her time. The series explores themes such as education, inheritance, marriage as social contract, narcissism, power and knowledge. Each is framed as a conceptual ‘versus’ in dialogue with Austen’s characters and narratives.
Paddy Fitzgerald 