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David Patchen Biography
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Born and raised in New York, David Patchen now resides in San Francisco. While a musician for two decades, he now exclusively directs his creative energy to glass. David has learned from a wide range of talented local artists as well as at the studio of Afro Celotto, maestro and former assistant to Lino Tagliapietra in Murano, Italy. In 2006 he was awarded a scholarship for artistic merit to attend a juried class at the prestigious Pilchuck Glass School, founded by Dale Chihuly and John and Anne Hauberg in Stanwood, Washington. In 2009 David was selected for an artist residency by the Seto City Art and Cultural Foundation in Japan. David is actively involved in the glass arts community as Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors at Public Glass and former member of the Board of Directors, Glass Alliance of Northern California. David maintains a studio adjacent to Public Glass in San Francisco where he creates his work. David enjoys and finds inspiration in international travel, SCUBA diving, photography, architecture, science and nature. His work is available at select galleries in the U.S., Canada and Europe. See the "Galleries" link for details.
Artist Statement
I find glass as seductive as it is challenging. As a particularly unforgiving medium it exposes an artist’s vision in designing for its unique properties and their skill in executing work. I’ve always been captivated by how glass can hold elements in suspension, bend light, and layer color in three dimensions as well as the process of working with it in its liquid state.
My current
work is an intensive exploration of detailed patterns, colors and transparency
created through multi-layered cane and murrine colored rods and patterned
cross-sections of glass. Creating my work begins with meticulous planning and
designing of colors and patterns. After I pull the cane and murrine, I
carefully compose these elements to design the final work, all days prior to
blowing it. I enjoy this process of thoughtful creativity and the contrasting
intensity of executing work in the hot shop, where the limited window to shape
molten glass requires precision and urgency. The dual challenge of designing
and executing complex work satisfies both the artist and the craftsman in me
and I continually find it exciting to create a piece I’ve poured days over,
watching it come to life in the fire.
While varied in composition and design, I most often create work within a series of graceful forms, which I consider three-dimensional canvases. The diversity and variation in my work reflects my desire to explore a variety of ideas simultaneously. Some visual themes that recur include windows with views into or through a piece, contrasting transparency and solidity and disrupted repetition. Colors in contrasting and/or complimentary tertiary tones woven into complex patterns challenge expectations of the amount of detail glass can carry and its place in the art world. My indirect influences include textiles, ethnically distinct colors and shapes as well as the marine environment.
Exhibitions, Shows
Stewart Fine Art, Boca Raton, FL - "Bloom" Apr. 2012
Marshall-LeKae Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ - Glass Invitational, Mar. 2012
Duncan McClellan Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL - 'Distant Visions" Jan. 2012
JRB Art At the Elms, Oklahoma City - 'Cutting Edge Glass,' Aug. 2011
Museum of Glass, Tacoma - 'Red Hot,' Jul. 2011
Kunstmesse Dusseldorf - Dusseldorf, Germany, Feb. 2011
Stewart Fine Art – Group Show, Simple Addition & Subtraction, December – April 2009/2010
Vienna International Art Show - Vienna, Austria, Nov. 2009
ArtSpan - San Francisco Private Preview Gala (Juror's Choice Award), Oct. 2009 Sausalito Art Festival - Invited artist, Sept. 2009
Pismo Fine Art Glass, Aspen - New work by David Patchen, July 2009
The Bender Gallery, Asheville - New work by David Patchen, June 2009
Art Forte, Seattle - Into Nature, June 2009
Art Forte, Seattle - Zen Organic, May 2009
Gump's, San Francisco - Pearl; Inspiring Design and Desire, Apr. 2009
Glass Alliance of Northern California - Lecture & Demo, Mar. 2009
SOFA (Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art) Chicago, Nov. 2008
Pilchuck, Seattle - Annual Auction (juried), Oct. 2008
Judy Youens Gallery, Santa Fe - Opening Show, Jul. 2008
JRB Art At the Elms, Oklahoma City - Glass Invitational, June 2008
Micaela Gallery, San Francisco - New work by David Patchen, David Ruth, Julie Lazarus, Nov. 2007
Pismo Fine Art Glass, Denver - Murrine Mystique (group all-murrine show), Oct. 2007
National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia - Glass Now Auction, Oct. 2006
Gump's, San Francisco - California Creations Group Show, Jul. 2006
Glass Art Society - Annual Conference, live auction (juried), Jun. 2006
Santa Barbara Museum of Art - Annual Auction, May 2006
ArtsFest, San Francisco - Spectra Ball (juried), Apr. 2006
Santa Barbara Ballet - Arts Fundraiser, Apr. 2006
Artexpo; Javits Center New York, Mar. 2006
Public Glass, San Francisco - Not So Clear Group Show (juried), Oct. 2005
Gump's, San Francisco - Lead artist in California Transformation Group Show, Jul. 2005
Public Glass, San Francisco - Keep Us Hot live auction (juried), Apr. 2005
ArtSpan - Open Studios exhibitor, demonstrator, Oct. 2003
Bay Area Glass Institute - Annual Live Auction (juried), Jan. 2004
Publications
NEW BOOK: David Patchen, Explorations in Murrine, June 2009 . SF Art News, Sept. 2009
San Francisco Magazine, June 2009
Arizona Republic; Arts Nov. 2008
San Francisco Weekly, Sept. 2008
San Francisco Chronicle - Home & Garden section, Apr. 2006
San Francisco Arts Monthly - Oct. 2005
Events,
Demonstrations
Artspan, Tour des Artistes Lecture and Demo, Aug. 2009
Glass Alliance of Northern California - Studio visit and demo, Jan. 2009
Bay Area Glass Institute - Third Thursday Artist Lecture and Demo, July 2007
Assisted Afro Celotto, Public Glass - Nov, 2006
Public Glass - various demonstrations at Open Studios and other events, 2004 – 2009 Public Glass New Furnace Celebration - demonstration, Jul, 2006
Gaffed for Marvin Lipofsky demonstration, Apr, 2006
Upcoming
Events & News
Artist-in-residence - Seto City, Japan, Jan./Feb. 2010
Temple Arts Festival, Nashville, Apr. 2009