I met my friend, Pat Falconer, around four years ago when she was working as a sessional proofreader in my office. I liked her immediately. She was funny and smart, and pretty soon I found out she was also this awesomely talented painter. Please forgive the terrible pictures, which don't do justice to her work, but I wanted people to see some of her paintings because like a lot of artists, Patty doesn't have a website.
Pat specializes in paintings of animals, and mainly dogs. As you can see, her portraits capture so much of the spirit and nature of the animal she's painting.
love this one--part of a triptych
Cherubim
These are the "Sistine Chapel" dogs
one of my favorites
Patty is mad about Italian Greyhounds. She's volunteered for the Italian Greyhound rescue group here in Austin and has two of the little charmers, Sally and Bobo. Here's Bobo in action:
and Sally
Pat did some amazing opera-themed art some years ago. Here's a tiny bit of that work:
Patty's house is beautiful and filled with her wonderful work and her amazing collections of art, ephemera, and objects.
Patty, surrounded by books and art.
My pictures don't do justice to her home, either!
More recently, Patty has been drawing and painting chickens, turkeys, rabbits, and pigs. I think it's her way of
drawing attention to the plight of the domestic animal. In her drawings, these creatures are seen as handsome, noble, and even regal.
During the last legislative session, Patty taught herself embroidery so she could create a large wall hanging of all the proofreader pets. This is a detail of the piece:
Pretty amazing, eh?
If you've ever wanted a great portrait of your pet, you should definitely contact Pat Falconer. If you'd like to learn to draw your pet, Patty teaches a "Draw your pet" class at the Art School of Laguna Gloria, Austin Museum of Art.
