Steve Patricia had a dream when he was young: to someday work for National Geographic.
Patricia looked at the nonprofit as an organization that created “art for science’s sake.” As someone who grew up interested in science, history and art, he was drawn to that type of work.
“I’ve always had a thread running through me of wanting to draw whatever I’m interested in,” Patricia said sitting in the quaint studio of his 200-year-old Ligonier Township farmhouse.
Two university degrees later in fields that didn’t fully satisfy him, Patricia finally landed a gig with Nat Geo.
Now, his artistic footprint can be found nationally and locally. He’s illustrated the eager faces of women fighting for their rights in Seneca Falls, depicted the daily lives of soldiers at Fort Ligonier, redesigned the façade of a Latrobe bakery, and drawn colonial ships at the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine.
Still, Patricia remains humble about his role and impact as an artist.
“I always hesitated to call anything I did artwork, because that gets you into a philosophical discussion,” he reflected. “But if all the work that I’ve done… it’s storytelling. It’s narrative.”
Decade of searching
Patricia grew up surrounded by art. He often helped his father, a commercial artist, with projects.
Despite this, his father never pushed him to be an artist. During high school, Patricia explored geology, oceanography and archaeology — but none of them spoke to him as a career.
He finally landed on architecture. In 1979, he graduated from Carnegie Mellon and became a registered architect in Pennsylvania.
The profession had its disappointments, though. The minimal role of design and lack of on-site work pushed Patricia to eventually go back to school.
In 1991, he graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a master’s degree in archaeology.
“But that still didn’t put everything together,” Patricia said. “…And I still was looking at National Geographic as being the answer.”
Through a connection, Patricia finally landed a job with Nat Geo in the early 90s. For about 10 years, he created artwork for the publication, where he also learned to polish his artistic technique.
“It was like a surreal dream,” he recalled. “I was just thinking to myself, ‘This is real.’”
At the same time, Patricia was creating artwork for the U.S. National Park Service. He realized that he could pursue scientific, historic artwork full-time.
National and local impact
Fast forward 30 years, and Patricia continues to complete work for national organizations like the National Park Service, Scientific American and American Archaeology. Locally, he regularly works with the Latrobe Community Revitalization Program and Fort Ligonier.
Each piece that Patricia creates — whether on display in a park, magazine or museum — tells a story that requires rigorous research and careful consultation with experts. The details he includes are purposefully selected to convey a message.
“Telling history by visuals is very important,” he said. “Most people are visual. Most people want to see what it’s like.”
Many of the stories that he’s visually told decorate the walls of his studio. One piece featured prominently is a smaller version of a life-sized mural he created for the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls.
The mural – which is one of Patricia’s favorite pieces – features dozens of eager men and women who gathered at the first women’s rights convention in 1848. Prominent historical figures included in the mural are Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Frederick Douglass.
“I feel privileged telling these stories,” Patricia said.
Patricia said it can be difficult to manage the authority that comes with depicting what happened in history. Experts can help Patricia navigate the details, but even they can only understand the cultures and attitudes of historical societies to a certain extent.
In a colonial Jamestown piece that Patricia created for Reader’s Digest, Patricia drew a woman standing with her arms crossed. This “raised some ire.”
“A woman of the times, if she had any reputation, would never stand that way,” Patricia explained. “And I thought, ‘Wow, those are the kind of details that can lead you into a real trap.’”
To minimize inaccuracies and misunderstandings, Patricia’s work is often light on details. For example, in a book he produced and illustrated about World War I, the artwork only details “undeniable” facts about its subject matter, he said.
The facts that are present in his work collaborate to convey meaning and historical truth. Patricia is able to bring this skill to Westmoreland County, where he completed pieces such as the Fort Ligonier mural, a downtown Latrobe mural and the redesign of several buildings in Latrobe.
“I couldn’t imagine (Latrobe) where it’s at without him,” said Jarod Trunzo, the executive director of the Latrobe Community Revitalization Program. “He’s been such a driving force.”
Looking to the future, Patricia will keep working with the National Park Service on “very satisfying” projects.
And Westmoreland County will continue to benefit from his talent: He will shape art and architecture in downtown Latrobe; is organizing efforts to erect statues of two Medal of Honor recipients on Ligonier’s Diamond; and is working on more exhibits at Fort Ligonier.
Sitting in the home he shares with his wife, dogs and horses, Patricia considers the national and local work to be “equally important.” The local work, however, has its hometown appeal.
“It’s very satisfying to be involved in these projects and you see them happen,” the artist said. “It’s in your backyard.”
Maddie Aiken is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Maddie by email at maiken@triblive.com or via Twitter .
"artist" - Google News
December 11, 2022 at 08:00PM
https://ift.tt/cXm0jCq
Ligonier artist tells history through artwork | TribLIVE.com - TribLIVE
"artist" - Google News
https://ift.tt/XK2D7yf
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Ligonier artist tells history through artwork | TribLIVE.com - TribLIVE"
Post a Comment