Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dora Patin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Dora thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

From a young age I loved drawing but I never thought that becoming an artist was an option. I grew up in Budapest, Hungary and then studied and worked in Vienna, Austria. After getting married I moved to the US with my husband, and we later had three children. While staying home with our kids I began to return to drawing. Wanting to improve my skills, I started to watch online tutorials. One day I saw an ad for an open house at Artists & Makers Studios in Rockville, Maryland. That’s how I met the owner of The Compass Atelier, Glen Kessler. In 2017, I enrolled in his 3 year Master Artist Program. Before this program I had never painted in oils. During the program I learned more than just the craft itself, but also the deeper meaning of being an artist.

Knowing what I know now, I don’t think you can speed up the learning process. Do I wish I would have started it sooner? Absolutely! However, I can’t change the past and this isn’t something I dwell on. I focus on learning more and getting better as I gain more experience over the years and I look forward to painting for the rest of my life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I grew up behind the Iron Curtain in Budapest, Hungary. When I was 10 I lost my mother. I never showed how deeply that affected me for not wanting to appear vulnerable. My grandmother became my greatest refuge, as our pain was comparable. I spent a lot of time with her and even lived with her for a while. My grandma loved to sketch. If there was a pen near her, she would sketch on literally anything, a piece of paper, newspaper, envelope, or napkin. My mom also had very good drawing skills, and seeing this from a young age inspired me to draw and love art. I never took any art classes until in enrolled in the Master Artist Program at The Compass Atelier in 2017. Around that same time I read the book Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. This book explains that you aren’t necessarily born with talent. Instead, it’s a combination of motivation, practice and coaching and you can learn the craft if you have grit and perseverance.

I work in oils in the trompe l’oeil genre, which is a highly realistic painting style trying to fool the viewer into thinking that what they see isn’t a painting. About a year ago I started a “playing card” series that is still my main source of inspiration. I sell original paintings through my website, Instagram, art shows, or to existing collectors and I also take commissions.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the self discovery and personal growth. It took me years to realize what it is I want to do as an artist. I had to analyze everything and find out why I made it before I knew what best fit my personality. I’ve been really happy since I found that painting trompe l’oeil gives me countless ideas and motivation. I’ve been working on a series of paintings with playing cards. The reason I chose cards is partly because I have great memories playing cards with my grandma. Furthermore, playing cards have a rich history, and there are countless meanings, games, quotes and stories that I can use to create a narrative. My goal is always to be honest and stay true to who I am. Each painting I create is relevant to me. I hope this is reflected in my paintings. Creating the trompe l’oeil paintings can take several weeks, and therefore I also like to loosen up a bit and paint alla prima flowers.

Fun fact: “paint” is an anagram to my name Patin.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In March 2020 when I completed the Master Artist Program, the world shut down due to the Covid pandemic. It wasn’t an ideal start for my art career, and over the following 2 years there were lots of rejections, which can be extremely disappointing. In the first half of 2022 alone, I was rejected from 8 juried shows. Therefore, in the summer of 2022 I decided to change things up. I challenged myself to paint a trompe l’oeil piece for a local show. I ended up getting ‘Best in Show’, and received the Bertha Clum Award. I realized how much I liked the trompe l’oeil genre and I started to immerse myself in it. Since then, I’ve painted a series of playing card paintings and participated in the Affordable Art Fair in New York City represented by Alida Anderson Art Projects this Spring. The Art Fair takes place twice a year and I’m planning to return in the Fall. I also participate in local shows in the DMV area.      

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dorapatinart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorapatinart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dorapatinart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorapatinart/

Image Credits
First photo by Arindam Dasgupta