We recently connected with Patricia A Griffin and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Patricia A, thanks for joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?
I have been a creative my entire life. The first award I won was in First Grade for a Smokey the Bear drawing. When it became time to choose the trajectory of my life’s work, art was the clear direction. I have spent the past 35 years utilizing my creativity to bring awareness to the natural world. I go out into nature with a sketch book and camera in hand. I spend hours observing, a herd of bison, a moose grazing a patch of willow, a bear teaching its cubs where to find food. I am inspired by the way the light lands on leaves, animals, and mountains. I am inspired by weather, sounds, and forms. Witnessing, and feeling my connection to the subject fuels my paintings. I was never quite sure how it was going to work but still I know It is what I am here to do. It is the commitment of time and the dedication to a vision to have the work reach an audience that has led me to decisions that have made my career a success.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I graduated college and knew that I had to find a way to be able to create full time. Teaching for the first few years helped me pay the bills as I honed my painting skills as a Pleain Air Painter. Living in North East PA. afforded me a multitude of opportunity to capture the landscape and ever changing light and seasons. I began traveling with a group of artist “the Polentas” all over the country, painting the landscape. During a trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota, painting in Custer State Park, a herd of Prong Horn walked within ten feet of my easel. That experience was the catalyst for my Wildlife Painting. When I returned to the studio I immediately started painting animals. I have not stopped. The work reaches people on a deeper level than my pretty landscapes ever could. The landscape painting taught me to understand light, shadow, and color but the animal paintings taught me how to paint souls.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I never, never bought in to the idea of the starving artist. My success had to happen and I knew it was my job to do the, not so fun, business and marketing to make it happen. I have dyslexia and ADHD and that made the business side down right painful. I still to this day am challenged by answering emails, writing about myself, hahaha, and keeping my finances in line. I began reaching out to galleries early on and slowly picked up representation. I would paint anything that people asked, dogs, sets for plays, family portraits, coloring books, and even a pastel of Princess Diana. As my income increased I upped the quality of my supplies and just kept working.
Through my travels I identified locations where I wanted to return again and again, and I felt my work would sell well. I continued to build my skills and started to apply to Galleries in those locations. At that point the internet was dial up and not yet the force it is for artist today.
I always wanted to have representation in Jackson Hole, Wy. and when I had what I thought was enough solid work, I took out a loan, bought a van, and drove across country. I had no idea how I would be able to pay for the van and the trip was put on my credit card. When I mustered up the courage to approach a gallery….I got in. They sold a six foot painting before I left the state. Life has been like that for me. I take the big risk and receive a great reward. From that point on there have been hundreds of rejections but hundreds of successes. I focus on the successes and keep making sure I am rejected often. The rejection keeps me on my toes and striving to always bring my best.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Artists that stay true to the journey and don’t follow someone else’s success, create a body of work so genuine they get a reputation. The paintings I create are recognizably from my hand. When I started painting Wildlife I only knew of work that resembled a duck stamp. I was hesitant to paint animals because the work I knew of seemed stale and emotionless. Once animals became the subjects, I hit the canvas with layers of bold color and simplified backgrounds. I knew no one that was doing that and it seemed to flow from me intuitively. I show up in the studio and allow the paintings to come from deep within. Over time, my sense of color and application of it became so significant that a signature style arose.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://griffingallery.com/. grifffingallery.com
- Instagram: @patriciaAgriffin. https://www.instagram.com/patriciaagriffin/
- Facebook: Patricia Ann Griffin www.facebook.com/patricia.griffin.948
- Linkedin: Patricia A. Griffin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-a-griffin-17003237/
- Youtube: @PatriciaAGriffin. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK7ZNuNi9-vIrUIH4UrVFrA
- Other: https://griffinprints.com/