FitzGerald looked no farther than his own Winnipeg backyard to find Pritchard’s Fence. Under his close scrutiny and painstaking workmanship, the jumble of buildings and rickety fence open up an array of visual and compositional possibilities, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. By finding beauty and serenity in a typical Winnipeg neighbourhood, FitzGerald created what was to become one of his most beloved paintings.

The picture must have held special significance for the artist. It hung in his home, where he could look at it on a continual basis.