Patsy Lindamood

For years, my subject matter was principally wildlife and human portraiture.  I achieved signature status in the Society of Animal Artists, Artists for Conservation, and the International Guild of Realism with wildlife work.   But about two years ago, on one of my birding expeditions, other elements of the local Texas environment overran my focus on the avian population of the area.   Since then, I have developed a passion for painting Texas work boats, among other icons of the Texan landscape.   The lines, shapes and values of the work boats that abound in coastal Texas appeal to my affinity for the basic mathematical and geometrical patterns discovered throughout the ages in nature and in man-made creations. 

Another transition I have made in recent years is away from working principally in strongly colorful soft pastel to other dry media:  watercolor pencil and graphite.   For my graphite body of work, I look for compositions that provide a range of values, an essential element for creating a compelling graphite painting.  

Never one previously drawn to painting landscapes, these days I am developing a series of Texas panoramas featuring grain silos, grain elevators and disintegrating homesteads.  These vistas are comprised of a broad range of values, populated with subjects which are consummate examples of strong lines and shapes.  And, when the visual language is reduced to just lines, shapes, and values, the underlying story becomes more poignant, more arresting.    Absent the romance of color, working in shades of grey is like telling a short story rather than writing a novel.  

A late starter as an artist, I decided in 2004 to become a professional.   While I may not currently “live” off my art, I am nevertheless a full-time practicing artist, despite my day job as a CFO/CTO for a credit union.  I typically spend some 30 to 40 or more hours a week in my studio creating work, or at my computer vetting and composing my photographic reference, or engaged in the business of promoting and supporting my art.   In addition to my original work, I accept commissions of all types for projects which I find personally engaging.   

I’m often asked how someone who is a professional mathematician of sorts, and who is responsible for implementing and supporting technology, creates art.   For years, I never really tried to understand the dichotomy between the demands of my day job and the skills and creativity required to be an artist.   Eventually, however, my own need to understand this dichotomy led me to explore how mathematical concepts such as symmetry, linear perspective, and the Fibonacci sequence, are foundational in the highly representational artwork I create, such as in my grain elevator and silos series.   

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.