Patricia Gustafson
Born in Edmonton Alberta, Patricia’s passion for horses has led her from illustrating her grade 6 math textbook to the present day where her love of horses is portrayed in her work. Working with these magnificent beasts has enabled her to appreciate their spirit, sense of freedom and nobility. Whether enjoying them from the ground or the privilege of being on their backs, their spirit has driven her existence for as long as she can remember.
Images come from her imagination and are displayed in a painterly fashion, rich in heavy texture. Delightfully whimsical and charged with energy these images come alive in the vibrant colours or subtle cameos.
She creates not only with oils and acrylics but also fibers and intricate fabric. From thread painting to quilting her enthusiasm for art is a particularly important part of her life, which shines through in the images she creates.
“Horses From My Dreams”
Patricia has been working in two main threads the last few years where horses are the constant but she likes to change up her techniques and takes varied approaches to her subject. Patricia has studied the anatomy of the horse and how they move for a very long time and sometimes feels like she knows them better than her own body.
The “white on whites” series is a recent technique that shows off her knowledge of the equine form. They allow texture to be the focus and are similar to the cameos of a time gone by. These are Patricia’s dream-like cameos; frescos from Patricia’s love of horses. The technique she uses is immediate; there is no room for hesitancy and there are no rough sketches before applying the form.
In Patricia’s other works, colour runs free in her mind allowing her imagination to take over and creating these wonderful and “mirage like” representations. This series of paintings shows the dream like visions from the long legs that merge into the ground, to leaping and “flying horses”, exposing the spirit of these animals, allowing the viewer to appreciate what Patricia sees.
MIRAGE
2017
Acrylic on board, framed
23" x 30"
$1,800
INTO THE TWILIGHT
2016
Acrylic on canvas, framed
30" x 16"
$1,450
FREE SPIRIT
2020
Acrylic on board, framed
15" x 11"
$675
SPIRIT OF THE WIND
2020
Acrylic on board, framed
24" x 14"
$1,000
DREAM FULFILLED
2020
Acrylic on board, framed
20 ½" x 9½"
$775
