Patty Wickman on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Patty Wickman (born 1959) is an American contemporary artist based in
Wickman paints representational images that investigate the role of spirituality in contemporary life. Intellectually complex and rigorous, her metaphorical images are layered with symbolism and allegorical implications. Wickman's work ranges from still lifes to domestic suburban scenes. Some of her paintings include figures and imply non-linear narratives. Her painting process involves the research of biblical literature and literary devices, art historical sources, and contemporary cultural references. She uses observation, found images, and staged photographs as visual references. At times her paintings leave preliminary drawings or underpaintings exposed. Some areas of the paintings are fully rendered and densely built up, while other passages are more loosely described. In a recurring Lenten practice, Wickman has made daily paintings of ordinary subjects and experiences. This meditative process is a spiritual act for Wickman during a time of religious contemplation. Wickman's work explores the intersection of the natural and the supernatural, the epic and the everyday, and collapses the distance between vision and visionary.
Patty Wickman’s paintings have been exhibited throughout the
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Wickman is a professor emeritus of Painting and Drawing at the University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
, where she taught from 1985-2024.
Biography
Patty Wickman was born inPasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...
, California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
in 1959. She received her BFA from Arizona State University, Tempe in 1981 and her MFA from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1983.
From a young age, Wickman was interested in human anatomy. Her brother was a doctor, and she was interested in becoming a medical illustrator. She instead decided to pursue fine art, mainly focusing on the human figure. Although she felt that figurative art was irrelevant to the art movement during this time, she expressed her desire to capture the spiritual aspect of existence through the figure.
Patty Wickman is a practicing Catholic, and has stated that the academic and commercial art world has been less accepting of religious artists.
Work
Wickman paints representational images that investigate the role of spirituality in contemporary life. Intellectually complex and rigorous, her metaphorical images are layered with symbolism and allegorical implications. Wickman's work ranges from still lifes to domestic suburban scenes. Some of her paintings include figures and imply non-linear narratives. Her painting process involves the research of biblical literature and literary devices, art historical sources, and contemporary cultural references. She uses observation, found images, and staged photographs as visual references. At times her paintings leave preliminary drawings or underpaintings exposed. Some areas of the paintings are fully rendered and densely built up, while other passages are more loosely described. In a recurring Lenten practice, Wickman has made daily paintings of ordinary subjects and experiences. This meditative process is a spiritual act for Wickman during a time of religious contemplation. Wickman's work explores the intersection of the natural and the supernatural, the epic and the everyday, and collapses the distance between vision and visionary.
Patty Wickman’s paintings have been exhibited throughout the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and internationally. She has lectured and instructed in various institutions in California, Arizona, Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Idaho.
Exhibitions
Wickman's work has been shown at museums, galleries, and non-profit spaces including Lora Schlesinger Gallery, Santa Monica, CA; Cal State LA Fine Arts Gallery, Los Angeles; Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles; New York Center for Art and Media Studies, New York; San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA; Academy of Fine Art, Brescia, Italy; Cornell DeWitt Gallery, New York; W139, Amsterdam; Dan Bernier Gallery, Santa Monica; ACME Gallery, Los Angeles; Frye Art Museum, Seattle; Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Santa Monica; Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles; Hunter Museum of Art, Tennessee; Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO; Peter Miller Gallery, Chicago; and Wonzimer Gallery, Los Angeles.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wickman, Patty 20th-century American painters 1959 births Living people 21st-century American painters Artists from Pasadena, California Arizona State University alumni University of Colorado Boulder alumni American Catholics UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture faculty