Like the carefree days of youth, when one goes outside to play in evolving weather with changing skies: so Plein Air painting is for me. Those days seemed endless and unrecorded, these are finite, described by a canvas, but are distilled by the senses, the impressions of color and form, with dappled sunlight moving in and out of shadow. I am playing with my favorite toy – color! Scouting out new and interesting places, maintaining one’s supplies, which include art materials and anti-bug and anti-sun paraphernalia, kindles a wandering warrior spirit of readiness for fickle weather and evolving environments.
Sometimes I work in 3D using clay or papier-mâché. I love the fluidity of molding these materials until they achieve a certain aesthetic, and then glazing or painting them. Printmaking is also another favored medium.
Description of the Work: I paint landscapes with oils, primarily outdoors in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Maine, which explains why my paintings may include grains of sand and a gnat, or two. I am also very interested in the complexities of the human figure and the challenges of foreshortening. Inclement weather makes interior scenes, and still life compositions, very appealing subjects, too.
Bio
Shannon Patrick is a native of Athens, GA, but grew up from Fairfax, VA to Miami, FL. Her first-grade teacher, Mrs. Booth, of Alps Road Elementary School, made a fuss over a self-portrait collage. Propelled by this encouragement, a lifetime of design and art, and the teaching thereof, ensued. After graduating from UGA in 1979, with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, she launched into a 20 year career as a fabric designer, that included much travel and membership in the Color Marketing Group, the design professionals who determine what color your next sofa, car, or paint choice might be. Next, came a masters’ degree in art education from Converse College. Three years ago, she retired after 13 years of teaching art, to pursue painting full-time. She first experienced Plein Air painting at Wild Acres, an art retreat near Little Switzerland, NC, once used as an off-campus base by Ringling College of Art and Design.
