To whom it may concern
I write in reference to the application of Patricia Boyer for a residency at Bellagio.
I have known Pat Boyer for thirteen years. Her studio is beside mine and she has participated in
our workshop program for a number of years. I believe I have a unique and intimate view of her
work and her process. I know her well. I have witnessed the development and flowering of her
work. She is a strong mature artist with a deep personal connection to her materials and her
process. As an artist she has achieved a degree of mastery that comes from years of
immersion. She works now with a speed and intensity that allows for profound exploration. Her
abilities with paint and her knowledge of all the aspects of painting now give her the room to dig
into different aspects of her journey as a human being. One of these lasting and ongoing
explorations coheres around the concept and experience of “the Arena.” It is my belief that when
an artist who is fully versed and fluid in their relationship with their medium, combines these
skills with a deeply meaningful and rich metaphor, the result is painting at its best. Pat is
standing in such a place and I believe that this residency would be a unique and powerful
opportunity for her to complete an important and unique body of work.
– —
Pat Boyer’s paintings dance before o’ur eyes, f ull of immediacy and energy. They have humor
and freshness. They delight us. There is however more going on than initially meets the eye. As
we spend time with these painting we realize the complexity of the structures that hold them
together. They are well built and yet the structure is never overwhelming. It is always in harmony 1
with the energy of the painting. This lets us stay easily in the painting. Slowly we are opened up.
We are given room for our imaginations to travel. We get taken back to farms we remember and ‘
stories we have been told. We are taken to moments in nature; to particular times of year; to the
sogginess of ground or the moodiness of light. Our memories areac.cessed ~rtd brought present
\ by the movement of thepain,taQ9 ! t’]e Id§!l.sJJy.of,cqlor” Our experience is free and -.
unselfconscious because the paintings are unselfconscious and holistic. They creat.e expansive
experien~ an~ a~ w,e tn~y~1 in lhemwe realiz~ ,~~f’lt they <;Ire, f9~heir immediacY’31£?~!
memory. lJ’hey are doing what TS Elliot said poetry can do: they are in e presenrmomentl
‘. “fusing the most ancient and the most modern within us.”llt is this possibility that exists Tfii ioth
poetry 8rid-pai’nling that validates the-impOrtance -of Pat Boyer’s proposed project. The power of
her experience of the ancient arenas of Italy – how they affect her personally and connect up
other experiences in her life – combined with her mastery of the medium of painting; place Pat in
a unique position to explore the long reach of cultural memory and to create a powerful body of
work.
Pat’s personality is generous and easy. She is well traveled and excited by different cultures
and ways of life. She is a profoundly caring person involved in different humanitarian activities. I
know of an orphanage in Ghana that is named after her and her husband because of their
contributions to that community. I believe she would be a wonderful addition to your community.
She is very well read and beside a very extensive knowledge and Art History and the issues of
contemporary Art, she is also someone with broad and deep interest in other fields of research. I
have no hesitancy in strongly recommending her to your program
”
Tim Hawkesworth – 2009,