Patrick Saunders

Artful Painter Podcast

Apr 12

Written By Carl Olson

No Preconceptions

Episode 27

Episode length: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Also available on:
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Patrick Saunders’ paintings have won many awards and received much recognition. His studio works earned him membership in notable painting organizations, including becoming a signature member of Oil Painters of America. When Patrick began plein air painting in 2013, he won awards from numerous nationally recognized events and organizations. However, whether he paints indoors or outdoors, he does not want to be known by where he paints. He doesn’t want to be known as a plein air painter nor as a studio painter. Rather, he considers himself simply as a painter drawn to many subjects.

The subject matter of his paintings include landscapes, cityscapes, animals and pets, and florals. Many of these subjects Patrick discovers along the thousands of miles he and his wife, photographer Kimberly Saunders, travel in their Airstream across the country. Patrick avoids the many sweeping vistas he travels through, preferring to capture the intimate details of life. As he and his wife travel, he searches out the colors, textures, and values of everyday life that are all too often taken for granted.

In this episode, Patrick talks about the challenge of overcoming preconceptions about how something should be painted. It requires keen observation of what is before us. Our belief that some subjects are more difficult to paint than others may also be the result of deeply rooted preconceptions. Careful observation, and the willingness to view art making as a series of little mistakes corrected and adjusted throughout our painting session helps us overcome our preconceived notions about painting. Patrick Saunders work clearly demonstrate that he diligently strives to paint with no preconceptions.

“I actually tend to be drawn towards things that I don’t think I could necessarily capture in paint. If it scares me, I’m going to paint it. If I feel like I can’t paint it - that’s a challenge.”

— Patrick Saunders