artist statement

I work with the beauty and majesty of the landscape and also am fascinated by the chance compositions that I find around the house.(still lifes) My process is one of the focus being "out there" when I spot a subject, while I gather in shapes and colors and begin arranging them on the canvas. Soon, the focus shifts to being "in here", by which I mean the whole game is taking place on the canvas and in my head. There is a freedom and excitement in allowing the paint to do what it wants, as in the accidental mergings and drippings that may occur and in areas where colors may be mixed and layered right on the surface.

One thing which seems mysterious to me is my own receptivity of certain themes and compositions at different times. I often leaf through my well-worn photo collection and an image will present itself to me, demanding to be painted, that I have rejected
many other times! I may be traveling a road close to my home that I have previously declared uninteresting but it will suddenly look compelling and becomes a landscape motif. I don't know how to explain this, but I certainly enjoy the mystery of it!

"Pat McEvoy's art is far more complex than it might appear to be at first glance. Time given to it would be time well rewarded since, when all is said and done, it is an art not intended to instruct or to make moral points, but rather simply to be enjoyed, and to be enjoyed intensely."

James K. Kettlewell, art historian

Saratoga Springs, NY Studio

"It is important not to have a goal in any specific way about my end result while I am working." Pat states that every part of the piece, almost every brushstroke, gets evaluated on its own merit as well as how it contributes to the liveliness of the painting as a whole.

To view works of art visit my GALLERY

Edge of the Woods by Pat McEvoy

Edge of the Woods

Kitchen Table by Pat McEvoy

Kitchen Window, II