In the spirit of creativity . . .

Born and bred along the coast of California, well educated, with a BA in Literature, specializing in poetry and a graduate degree in Humanities specializing in an inter-disciplinary approach to creative personal expression, Pat's journey in art and creativity has taken some unusual turns and this unusual history complements an unusual approach to making images.

An interest in poetry, philosophy and the esoteric isn't unusual for an artist and, as the artist Chuck Close has said, "Once you know what it is you want to make, making it look the way you want isn't difficult." An investigation of what and how visual elements mean something is the key to a fascinating exploration of creativity, feeling and presentation that offers no end of fascination. Pat believes that once you gain a foothold in understanding of the inferential meaning of words and images, you have an opportunity to open up unexpected avenues of meaning in your life. 

Always an artist and writer, as both a student and teacher, teaching visual and written creativity from pre-school to university, the unifying factor in Pat's evolution has been a deeply held belief in how the creative act can open up the beauty of who we are.

Finding that the exploration and understanding of creativity is frequently independent of conventional approaches to studio practice, Pat's willingness to explore and take risks, combined with a multifaceted approach to visual meaning reflects his interest in disparate disciplines, incorporating a familiarity with everything from Vajrayana Buddhist teachings to Baroque and Rococo painters. 

Based on his willingness to take risks and step off the edge, Pat has ridden the currents of life into the unexpected. Curious about where art can go when it has broken all the barriers, when many people think that Art is whatever you can justify, Pat's taking an approach that reaches into the past and the future for technique and inspiration, incorporating digital and traditional tools, using pen, paper, oil, canvas, digital pen, tablet and software to create skillful work, and looking to poetry, mythology and philosophy for meaning, while also embracing techniques of both abstraction and representation to work in new and inventive directions.  

If you're curious about other work done by Pat, you're welcome to follow the links below to galleries of design, animation and photography:

Design

Photography

Animation and various experiments

Sport/lifestyle paintings

Experiments with poetry and image