His colorful abstract acrylic paintings have been featured in galleries in Chicago, New York, Miami and Europe. His latest works, on display at Artist Unlimited gallery in the Channel District, is a lively collection of abstract paintings depicting Hillsborough County landscapes.

``I travel around town and outskirts and look. I work on themes based on what I see,'' said Fitzgerald.

A retired college professor from New York, Fitzgerald had always dreamed of becoming a full-time artist. Fitzgerald's dream has come true here in Tampa, where he is a full-time artist working out of his home.

``I get up and have coffee like everybody else, but in my case I'm up at 5 a.m.,'' he said.

He paints each day from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. It's how he planned his retirement.