Artist Spotlight: Patricia

Our artist spotlight of the month is the one and only Patricia. Patricia is part of our Saturday morning studio sessions, and no session is complete without her. Since joining Artbox, her artistic practice has blossomed. It was always clear that Patricia loved creating art and became inspired by being around other like-minded artists, but as time has gone on her skill and confidence in her abilities has hugely increased.

Patricia always arrives at the studio buzzing with ideas, having planned multiple artworks in her head for weeks in advance. There are times when she’ll produce two or three artworks and still be ready for more, all in the duration of a single three hour studio session. Despite having a bright imagination as her creative source, Patricia also enjoys slowing the pace to look at books and magazines for inspiration. Most recently, she has had her eye on a book on aboriginal Australian art, notably portraits brimming with intricate details. Also a favourite source of hers are images of Egyptian mummies. The geometric shapes and patterns piqued Patricia’s artistic eye, and she has since created works rich in colourful patterns and showcasing figures encased in ornate tomb-like structures.

Colour is a big part of Patricia’s practice. When asking her what colours she would like on her palette, her answer is always “all of them”. For Artbox’s recent exhibition, she created a huge range of statement pieces that were not to be missed. Deciding to make use of the unusual choice of cardboard as a canvas, Patricia produced giant figures, as well as smaller characters, all rich with bold tones. She enjoys using acrylics on the cardboard, but often returns to a piece once it has dried to add layers of detail in pens. A notable sale from the exhibition was her Gibbon, painted with thick layers of acrylic paint on a cardboard cut-out. Upon realising it had been sold, Patricia radiated joy for the rest of the evening.

Joy is something that Patricia never fails to bring to the studio. Creating art evidently makes her happy, and she takes great pride in what she makes. “I love doing my work”, she said to me, “it makes me relax”. Every artwork Patricia makes has a narrative. She enjoys coming up with a context for each piece, and has a clear image in her mind of what she wants to achieve. A recently finished piece that she has been working on for the past few weeks is a triumph. Re-using plastic bottles, cotton wool and bits of scrap paper, Patricia worked hard on bringing an erupting volcano to life. Whether big or small, her work is always unforgettable.