Patricia Brutchin/Bio/Statements

I am currently a working professional artist and instructor. I have been creating sculpture and drawings for many years. I have received awards in national and regional juried exhibitions in Missouri, Kentucky, Colorado, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas and Illinois. I earned my BFA degree at Wichita State University and my Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Cincinnati, OH.

My work is represented in the permanent collection of the Sterling Art Museum in Kansas, and Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, IL. Solo exhibitions include: The Springfield Museum of Art in Ohio, The Ulrich Museum of Art and Design in Kansas, and The Ill. Inst of Art in Schaumburg, IL. Recent Group Exhibitions include: Northern Area Art Council Exhibition, St. Charles “Sculpture in the Park” exhibition, “Art in the Raw” (Elgin), The Chicago Art Open, 17th Annual Women’s Works in Woodstock, “From the Ground Up” at Lane Allen Gallery in Batavia and “Strictly Sculpture” Mars Gallery in Chicago.

Drawing Statement

I have been drawing the figure with ink for the past few years. I prefer sumi ink for its dense velvety blackness and Kitakata paper as it allows the lines and color to fuse. Using ink also allows me to be spontaneous in my interpretation, blasting the energy on paper, whatever you put down; it is there for good. I find that liberating!

The figure has captured my interest for many years. Each subject appears to define their space with attitude, physical attributes, and body language. Together with my lines, dots, color, and sometimes-symbolic elements, I love translating the experience of the self and the subject.

Sculpture/She Thinks Too!

In creating “She Thinks Too!” my inspiration stemmed from my childhood. Growing up I found that the audience was directed toward “He” in all the books I read. I always felt the author wasn’t addressing me, only “he”. Later as I became a young teen, I was treated as though it wasn’t important for me to learn anything. It was assumed I would marry and my husband would do all the thinking for me. So I rebelled and began putting an “S” in front of “he”. Why not? She does…think too!

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Sculpture/Calliope

This piece in particular focuses on the element of music. The pose represents the moment of inspiration, the quiet inner realm, evoking a spiritual union with “child” and nature. I wanted to create the idea of a soft feminine figure that would look down into the eyes of a small child and the child looking up into its face. My goal for this sculpture was to evoke in the viewer a sense of calm and quiet meditation.

My studio is located at the Lakeside Legacy Arts Park in Crystal Lake, IL.

Contact Info: 847-515-7504 or Brutchin@mc.net.