Exquisite Arts Magazine Vol 1 - July/ August 2016 | Page 34

What do you love the most about being an artist? I love sharing my art and putting them in galleries or on my FB page. I like when my friends admire my artwork. Their encouragement means a lot to me. The meaning behind your artwork contains great depth & significance. How important is expressing your inner thoughts & emotions through your art? paint is more fluid and thicker. I do my abstract paintings mainly for my friends as gifts, to relieve tension and for enjoyment. I love slapping paint around wildly without any thought; I enjoy the surprise at the end. I never know how it’s going to come out. Aside from painting and drawing, do you have any other talents or passions? If so, what are they? I do art to share but mainly to express my deepest subconscious thoughts and feelings. I enjoy drawing and painting freely without a plan. Dance was life for me when I lived in NYC in my late twenties. It was my passion. I studied dance for years while finishing up my Masters in Special Education. I no longer dance physically but, in some ways, I dance when I draw and paint. Many professionals believe that art can be very therapeutic, in fact healing. What are your views on the field of art therapy? What do you like most about Australia? I totally believe that art can be a form of therapy. I consider myself still an emerging artist; therefore, my artwork is not done solely for profit but for enjoyment, catharsis and self-expression. When I used to live in Miami, Florida, I worked as a dance therapist alongside an art therapist at a mental health hospital during my psychology undergraduate training at the University of Miami. I found through this experience the value of art as a therapeutic intervention, even more so than medication or other forms of therapy. What role does the use of colour play in your artistry? Colour is everything in art for me. The colours in my artwork express my soul qualities; a part of me I couldn’t touch any other way. Your artwork is amazing. It is very distinct and uniquely detailed. Summarize your artistic style and technique(s). One of my friends on FB described my artwork as being “chaos and orderliness at the same time.” I feel that describes me. I like routines and schedules and detailed work, but I also crave freedom and resist conventionalism. I think of my artwork as a maze to challenge myself to a new journey. My artistic style I’ve named “Patty’s Zesty Fantasy Art.” For my drawing artwork, I mainly use ink and textured pens. I like drawing on a smooth white mat board. I also draw on tracing paper and transfer my drawings on a solar or copper plate to make an etching, involving various chemical processes and a special UV machine. I paint a little and mainly do free style abstract painting. I use only house paints, which are less costly and the Page 34 I like its people and the exquisite nature. To get up in the morning and see cockatoo’s, kookaburras, and rainbow lorikeets on my balcony is such joy. I like eating breakfast on my balcony and having a view of such rare and beautiful birds. I love the sounds of nature in Australia and more the spiritual vibration in the air. It gives me great comfort. Though I was born in USA, Australia has my heart and soul. Going forward, what can we expect to see from you? I hope to branch out and do Viscosity Print Making, and explore portrait and landscape drawing within my own style. I like putting my artwork in overseas and Australian art prize contests, so I will continue to do so. It helps build my portfolio and I get feedback about my art. I will continue to put my artwork on my FB extra page – Patty’s Zesty Fantasy Art. Though I have been in some group exhibitions in Sydney, I hope to have a solo exhibition of my own artwork in 2017-2018. Where can potential buyers and fans purchase your work? I don’t have a website at the moment. To inquire about my work and current exhibitions, potential buyers or fans can email me at: [email protected] A