“Abstraction had, from the beginning, in my estimation, the most potential for an unlimited and nuanced kind of painting. You could say that it chose me as a way of working, rather than the other way around. My paintings evolve from the physical act of mark-making to the formation of visual patches of color and value. These structures become holders for the ideas and emotions that are influencing the developing painting. I look for opportunities that appear during the painting process that will help give structure to whatever it is that is driving the painting. I provide an interpretation of a painting’s specific arrangement.”
Pat Barrett is a painter living in McMinnville, Oregon. In his twenty three years, living in Oregon, Pat has established himself as a painter of note. He was raised in the orchards of Santa Clara Valley in California having experienced a childhood that was greatly enriched by the freedoms and disciplines inherent in a rural upbringing. His family’s close proximity to San Francisco found them taking advantage of the city’s world-class culture and art. In 1969, Pat moved to Los Angeles to attend Otis Art Institute where he received his MFA in painting. The rigor of the painting program at Otis formed his studio practice that continues today. Pat would be the first to say that his primary attention while painting goes to creating structures that support work that seems to defy conventional order, giving his work an unbridled quality. His greatest exposure as an artist has taken place in Portland, Oregon where he was a member of Gallery 114 in Portland’s Pearl District.“…Pat Barrett, [at] his latest show on view at Gallery 114… he's proven himself to be one of Portland's best abstract paint movers.” Jeff John, Portland Art + News + Reviews, 2011.