Patrick-Earl™️

PATRICK-EARL BARNES

Born: Shreveport, Louisiana
Resides: New York, New York
@patrickearltm

ARTIST STATEMENT: Art Is How You Think

I spent the first 25 years of my life preparing for the American dream, and every year since redefining it. In 1989, art became a calling: a channel and an obligation to communicate vividly with the world and foster deeper understanding. Growing up in the American South and living in Washington, D.C., and New York City gave me a unique synthesis of cultural, historical, and social perspectives that continue to inform my work.

I express myself through pictorial elements, form, color, and design. As an artist rooted in folk traditions, my purpose is to share my lived experience in hopes of inspiring change—of thought, of opinion, of belief, of perspective. Art is how I think, and my art reflects that philosophy.

My creative process is guided by innocence and spontaneity, and by a psychological connection to each work. This becomes both a singular and a collective journey: spiritual, emotional, and improvisational. My art combines found objects, free association, and varied styles and approaches, primarily through collage and decoupage. I weave history, social and cultural studies, and literature into instinctive creations that blur the lines between artistic disciplines and “isms.”

I pay homage to all the spirits and people who have shaped who I am and who I will become. I honor my origins, acknowledge my journey, and am driven by my vision for the future.

I am committed to creating environments that exemplify creative expression and encourage new ways of seeing and thinking. In 1999, I opened my own open-air art gallery in SoHo, New York City, where I exhibit and sell my work while building my artistic brands. Over the years, I have cultivated a significant following of collectors, patrons, and art enthusiasts from around the world. By bringing my art to public spaces, I educate everyday people about new aesthetic experiences and possibilities, and engage them in those experiences.