The following is my Artist Statement for the upcoming exhibition at Jansen Art Center in Lynden opening March 11. The show will be online virtual but now that Whatcom County is in Phase 2, I understand there will be an in person opening and Jansen will be open in some limited format.

Ron Pattern’s painting collection, “The Seasonal Forest”, is inspired by a lifetime of wandering the temperate rainforest of the Pacific Northwest. “I have always drawn and painted trees. Sometimes when I finish a painting, I realize that there is an unintended metaphor working, suggesting my relationship to people and humanity.”

‘Memorial’ was painted after the death of my lifelong friend. The rugged snag, still standing amongst the quickening shadows, represents the legacy of this individual life. The raven, a spiritual animal in many cultures, symbolizes various aspects of humanity, including death.

From the multi-colored and textured surface of a solid trunk to the fine filligree of the outermost branches, endless expressive opportunities are available for painting these incredible lifeforms. I like to take my paintings a step beyond realism, as in Sunlit Spruce where the trunks textured surface is rendered in shades of blue, indigo, and violet, not what you would expect to find in a tree painting.

Many of my tree portraits are set in a dramatic view of the deeply shadowed rainforest, with sunlight seeping through the canopy illuminating these majestic giants. The warm pigments playing off cool blue and green shadows, enhancing the spatial integrity of the painting, excite me. This body of work begins in 1988 with the graphite rendering, ‘Eagle Tree’, and completes with the latest acrylic painting on panel, ‘Winter Warmth’. Other mediums included in the show are watercolor, egg tempera and acrylic on canvas and panel.

Ron Pattern has been drawing and painting since childhood. He attended Douglas College in Vancouver during the late 70’s and has studied with The Federation of Canadian Artists, The National Watercolor Society, and has been a signature member of the Northwest Watercolor Society since 1994. Collectors include Peace Health, Logan Danson and other corporate and private collections. Ron’s work can be seen at the Jansen Art Center spring exhibition, by appointment at his Studio/Gallery in the Morgan Block Building in downtown historic Fairhaven, and on-line at patternart.net