Nick Patten

Nick Patten's realist paintings are about light and surface. The artist works from photographs to develop haunting compositions of interiors that include highly reflective surfaces and dramatic lighting situations. At the same time, these works include objects of a mundane nature, such as chairs, tables, and doorways. Patten begins the process of creating his compositions from photographs, but states that, “the photos are just a starting point.  I use what I call the ‘process of exclusion,’ which means I sort through what’s on the film and take out all extraneous objects, sometimes adding things from my imagination. With the design in place, I then work to create a balance, harnessing the bold contrasts of light and shadow to reveal the quiet drama in an everyday scene.” Patten’s hauntingly still, calm and serene paintings often leave viewers with a sense of wistful nostalgia.

He has shown in a number of venues since 1991 including Rice/Polak Gallery, Provincetown, Massachusetts, The Laffer Gallery, Schuylerville, NY, The Harrison Gallery, Williamstown, Massachusetts, Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, Massachusetts, and Julie Heller Gallery, Provincetown, Massachusetts, among others. His works can be found in private collections throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, including the Cape Cod Museum of Art, the Mississippi Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, the Boston Public Library, the Print Club of Albany Permanent Collection, and many other corporate and museum collections.

Courtesy of the Artist