Today we’d like to introduce you to Faith Patterson.
Faith, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve dreamed of being an artist for as long as I can remember. From a very young age on, I was always good at drawing and carving likenesses of people, animals and buildings. I was always working on some masterpiece and even as a child all those years ago, it was while creating that art I felt the most satisfaction, the most pride.
My artistic dreams were sidelined though because as with so many of us, life happens J I became a very young, single mother and my priorities shifted to making a living and raising my son. During all those years I still enjoyed drawing, carving and sculpting but just for myself. I always felt that without formal training or a degree, anything that I created was just for the sake of doing it. Occasionally I would give a piece of my art to someone as a gift and I would hear, as I did quite often; “you should be an artist”. Even though they meant well, hearing statements like just that embarrassed me and made me regret my lack of formal training.
Eventually I married, my son grew up and I was able to spend time pursuing my interests. I had never tried oil painting, so I began taking instruction from Tony Carnesecchi, the owner of a local art studio I attended. I also took workshops, read books, watched videos and soaked up knowledge wherever I found it. I was hooked; I painted constantly; whenever I could, and I began to sell my work. I also started doing commissioned work, first for friends and then others would approach me for paintings. That was all well over twenty years ago.
Today I sell my work through online as well as brick and mortar galleries, and my art hangs in homes and offices all over the world. It took a while, but at 60+ years old I am truly grateful to be able to do what I love every day and feel the same pride and satisfaction I still feel, each time I complete a painting.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I paint in both traditional and abstract styles, enjoying the process of both. I rely heavily on the palette knife in my painting and I tend to gravitate to bolder colors. Painting brings me joy. The process of putting to canvas, my perception of an actual scene or idea so that others can see what I see and (hopefully) feel what I feel, is the reason I paint.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
For artists such as myself that are basically self-taught; I would say don’t give up, just paint, paint and paint some more. Years ago, when I was first starting out to sell my work, I did a lot of art shows. Hearing different people both praise or criticize my work was the best learning experience that I had in those early days. The positive comments would be absolutely energizing. As for the not so wonderful comments (there’s always that guy :)……..they would sting but they never discouraged me, they only made me try harder.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can see my work on my website: faithpattersonart.com. I also sell through Artfinder.com and Saatchi.com. Some of my work is also at the Paint box Gallery in Ephraim, WI.
Contact Info:
- Address: 508 South State St
Marengo, IL 60152 - Website: faithpattersonart.com
- Phone: 6302672087
- Email: faithpattersonart@yahoo.com
- Instagram: faithpattersonart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faithpattersonart/
- Twitter: fpattersonart
Image Credit:
Faith Patterson
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