Artists, Engineers, and Entrepreneurs: Pat Chapman, Painter
For many years, local artist Pat Chapman’s beautiful talent was hidden out of fear. She began playing with art as a teenager and even spent time as an oil portrait artist in her thirties, but she was afraid that people wouldn’t like her paintings. It wasn’t until last year, after constant encouragement from her husband, that Pat truly embraced her gift and began taking classes and working with an art coach.
This episode of Artists, Engineers, and Entrepreneurs (ae2) explores how Pat conquered her fear by surrounding herself with a community of artists and how she is giving back to that community.
Pat’s art, while having a universal quality that allows everyone to relate to it, is deeply personal. When she walks up to a blank canvas, she writes a word on it that captures how she’s feeling. Layer upon layer, this word guides the color choices and brush strokes and shapes that she creates. It may evolve once she sees her vision for the painting. A common motif of her paintings is a half hidden face with only one distinct feature: the person’s eye. It shows the dichotomy of how you see your self and how you are seen by others.
Another of Pat’s passions is the volunteer work that she does with Art From the Streets, a non-profit organization in Austin that provides an environment for artists experiencing homelessness to express themselves through art. The studio gives these artists a safe space to create using supplies provided by the organization. Through an annual art show and pop-up shows throughout the year, the artists are able to sell their work for a profit. In some cases, this has allowed artists to come in off the streets and find a home.
To hear more of Pat’s story, watch the episode below.
If you are unfamiliar with ae2, this Web-series from Hiller Measurements is a long-form interview-style program that explores thought leaders at the “business end” of companies, creative works, and research. In each episode, Hiller Measurements’ President Jeff Olsen explores the creative drive, personal motivations, and stories of perseverance of visionaries who are still “in the hunt.
Through ae2, our aim is to find the business model in the engineering mind, the drive and technique a gifted artist is developing, and the impact for good that outweighs the personal risk taken on by bold business creators. Overall, the goal of our series is to inspire viewers to step out, build, and create.
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