Patou Artist Blog

Before there’s a house, there’s an empty patch of land. Before there’s a book, there’s a blank page. Before there’s a painting, there’s a white canvas.
 
But bridging the gap from white canvas to finished painting is no easy task, especially for abstract art. Imagine staring at a blank paper or white canvas, paintbrush at the ready, and not knowing where to start.  Sound challenging? Even seasoned and acclaimed abstract painter Patou thinks so.
 
So how does she handle the challenge? Patou says that she starts by thinking long and hard about the colors that strike her when she “sees them in nature or in someone’s eyes.” She has to pull up the emotions from deep within her, then use the most powerful colors to help her funnel those feelings onto her canvas.
 
Abstract painting is always a risk, but it’s always worth it. “You need to sometimes control your surge without losing your audacity,” says Patou of how she goes about the process of abstract painting. “It’s an exhausting trip, but so rewarding.”
 
When you’ve pulled up your deepest emotions and put them on canvas, you’ve given away a little piece of yourself. It’s draining, and sometimes a little hard to part with this mark you’ve left on the world. But your painting now has a life of its own, ready to carry on your legacy with it forever. This is art.

What happened to spontaneity? Lately, it seems that everyone is shouting the mantra “Think before you buy!” Sure, this method works if you’re buying a plasma television or a car. But, when purchasing art, you aren’t looking at printouts of technical specifications; there is something else at play that drives this investment.

Art is about feelings and emotions. When you lay eyes on that perfect painting or furnishing piece, something comes over you like a wave washing over the sand. It may be tranquility, contentment, passion or excitement. Art can even evoke our strongest feelings of love. Walk away, and the feeling recedes like the wave.

What if you don’t walk away? When you make that spontaneous purchase based solely on the feeling a piece evokes deep within you, you are bringing that emotion into your home forever. With every passing day that feeling grows stronger, more embedded in your lifestyle and more interlocked with the physical piece. Soon this piece of art becomes the emotion, and thus becomes a part of you. Even just one perfect piece expresses the real you for all to see.

In many families, artwork and art furnishings are passed down through generations, increasing their value but also strengthening the emotional ties attached to each piece. When you pass a piece down to your children or grandchildren, offer them a window to the feelings that make you you.

Patou wants you to remember that sometimes a little spontaneity is good for the soul. Your first instincts are most often right—trust them.

As a child, do you remember finger painting in the bathtub, drawing with chalk on the sidewalk or making little sculptures out of Play Dough? More importantly, do you remember how these small and simple acts made you feel? Most likely, you felt happy and relaxed and experienced a sense of freedom – the freedom of getting lost in your imagination. So, as an adult, what’s stopping you from reclaiming these feelings every day, particularly in these challenging and highly stressful times?

 

Through art, whether it’s sketching on your lunch hour, taking photographs at any given moment or writing a story, you will discover many benefits to your overall well-being. Not only will the regular practice of art enable you to express your creative side, it will also help you find the outlets that work for you to reduce stress, get in touch with your feelings, think clearer, and overall, establish balance in your life. And now, more than ever, it’s critical to implement positive, daily activities to overcome personal difficulties.

From soothing tension to discovering a new talent, art can offer the optimum escape, joy and self-awareness. Moreover, the process of creation can take you out of one state of mind and put you in a better one -- one that helps you manage your behavior, so you can find insight and focus and take on any challenge that presents itself.

Patou encourages you to take the time to find your creative form of expression, even if it’s as simple as looking at an art book, visiting a gallery or starting a new music collection.