“I stand outside with an easel
and wait for lightning to strike.”
-Patrick Ruane
Patrick Ruane
An artist living in Pittsburgh, PA, Patrick Ruane has been painting for 25 years. He has a degree in Fine Art from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Painting has been his primary source of income since 1998. Patrick has always found inspiration in nature and the landscape. Sky, earth, woods, rivers, etc. has been his primary subject matter from the beginning.
Creative Drive:
“Painting in general, and painting the landscape specifically, was just my personal vehicle for pursuing happiness, accomplishment, enlightenment, everything. An artist is just what I decided to be, and eventually that is what I became (for better or for worse).”
Key emotion represented in your work:
“A sense of calm. A sense of melancholy”
Thoughts on your process:
“In the murals and studio pieces, I don’t draw on the canvas. It’s pure paint. I improvise and adjust till I get it right. When I paint outside, I have a window of about an hour before the light changes so I work fast and make quick decisions and live with them. The painting is what it is. A unique snapshot of one moment frozen on canvas.”
Personal relationship with your work:
“I always thought that if I could figure out this one thing-how to master painting nature, I would figure out everything. It’s probably delusional, but it is that important to me, sometimes I feel as though I’ve gambled everything on whether or not I could figure out this art creating business.”
Thoughts on sharing art:
“Art and attempting to make it is a very optimistic endeavor. It’s reaching towards what is best in our nature. The fact that we usually fall short may not be important. I think sharing art with others can help make it all make a little more sense.”
