Michael Patterson

I am not sure how to explain art or the involvement in one’s life, but why I paint is very simple. I am challenged by paintings straightforward, evolving process, its unique smell, and the feel of the dry, cold sensation of paint dripping through my fingers. Paint has an ability to blend groups of colors rarely seen in nature, and also painting is the ultimate “control z”, by subtracting or adding another gesture, you move on without a remnant of the previous stoke.

My style stems from the enjoyment of the layering process, and the love of texture, movement, tension, and color; as a group the mixture allows me to challenge myself and not to become too rigid. When I become wedged artistically with repetitive looking canvasses I often re-work the paint, no matter how frustrating, to reach that unknown, indefinable feeling when a painting feels emotionally finished. It is a fear of mine that many pieces appear too similar, an apprehension I attempt to constantly shed. It is that apprehension which feeds the evolution of my work.

With my children complete with college and beyond, I continue to work as a video editor/producer, owning a one-man business working on commercials, corporate image pieces, and training vignettes. I enjoy my work and am appreciated by clients and fellow video partisans.  My editing at times is similar to electronic painting; there are so many “effect” filters available, they are drag and drop, a quick change much like painting strokes. My art training is definitely reflected in my video production and vice versa.

I consider myself a painter by heart; it’s what I do, I strive to live an artful life, it is what I wish to concentrate on. When I graduated from Louisiana Tech in 1980 my family life and painting didn’t naturally coexist but the past 4 years have been very prolific. I found traction and an environment for experimentation, with the new work I feel I can call myself a painter.

What I wish to walk away with from my artistic experience is to create pieces, which are masterful yet, simple. I intend that my paintings become investments; in me, in the appreciation of the arts and with my client to connect with a painting that provokes and maintains the initial feeling when first viewed.