Patrice Sullivan’s work is about memory and family. Although Sullivan works from photographs, the paintings are not photorealism. The paint itself, with its restive and gestural surfaces, embodies the memory with which she sees the past. And the past is her family, is sibling rivalry, marital conflicts, divorce and adversity, and their effects.
Today, the photographs and slides that Sullivan uses as models are obscure, remote, and part of old technology. The painted surface of her work is an attempt to recreate that temporal distance from the figures themselves. Still, the figure is the center of these paintings. What was once a poised and fixed figure as a photograph becomes a fluid and tonal image as a painting. The figure, Sullivan believes, is the embodiment of human experience, the site of courage, joy, struggle, loneliness, frustration – and memory. As in photographs, many of her subjects are aware of being observed and signal this awareness with eye contact. This synthesis of the photographic and painted image, within the familiar context of family, invites viewers to explore their own memories and emotions about their own families.
Self-taught or art school?
I attended Massachusetts College of Art and the University.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
If I could own one work of art it would be a piece by Fra Angelica.
How would you describe your style?
My style of painting is narrative, figurative autobiography, and is painterly.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
My process is very simple. I start out with areas of color then, much like a sculptor carve out the forms and information. Light is a guiding principle in my work. I am very interested in how light carves through space and time.
Is narrative important within your work?
The narrative nature is central to my work. It is the dynamics of family life narrated through images from my photo album.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
Some of my favorite artists are Frida Kahlo, Giotto, all the Renaissance painters of Italy -one of my favorite countries to visit for art, architecture, and culture.
What or who inspires your art?
I inspire myself as an artist. I have a handful of friends who show support and kinship to my art which helps fuel me. Artist work alone for the most part and that life becomes even more so the longer you create.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
At the moment, I have a studio in my condo, which takes up a lot of the living space. I would prefer a loft of some type where you could splash paint all over without the worries of destroying walls, floors, etc.
Do you have any studio rituals?
Studio rituals are cleaning my palette at the end of painting so the next day it is ready for me.
What are you working on now?
I have about 20 paintings in all stages of completion. I am switching to acrylic paint and it is a very challenging move. I need to set up and have rituals as to how to keep a palette alive and workable.
Where can we buy your work?
You can buy my art online through Instagram, but if you are in NYC, I have paintings at the Shin Gallery on the Lower East Side.
