Pat Carney

About Pat Carney

The defining characteristic of Pat Carney's paintings is to make beauty visible. Her subject matter ranges from intimate flowers to panoramic landscapes. Many of these images are drawn from on-location studies and references made during travel throughout the western states and beyond. It is her depiction of light and color relationships, however, that attracts viewers to her work. Each work of art is a close study of the colors and appropriate light key of the subject, creating a sense of place and/or form. She captures the dramatic or sometimes subtle effects of light on form, whether painting prairie overlooks or snowy mountain ranges. Her skillful use of color and energetic brushwork make her paintings seem effortless.

Born on a farm in Missouri in the late 1940s, Pat Carney applied her disciplined work ethic to educational achievement. Her earliest recollections of growing up on the farm are about loving to draw and to paint the natural world.   Pat states, “I loved being able to reproduce what I observed about the world and even more, I loved the special recognition I received for being able to do art.”  A scholarship enabled her to go to college and she earned a B.A. and an M.A. in Fine Arts from universities in Colorado.  Attracted to the teaching profession, she taught art and later history as well as completing a Ph.D. in European History.  After a teaching career of almost thirty years, she retired to put her energy again into her art.  Recently she has studied with Mark Daily, Kim English, Quang Ho, Kevin Weckbach, and Molly Davis at the Art Students League of Denver. 

Not only Pat Carney's landscapes but also her figurative and still-life paintings are in private and public collections. She has also garnered numerous awards from a long list of local and national exhibitions in which she has participated. Recent awards include 1st Place in Painting and Purchase Award, College Hill Library Anniversary Exhibit, Westminster, Colorado 2008 and the First Place in Painting, Gilpin Arts Association 63rd Annual Regional Exhibit, Central City, Colorado, 2009. 

Artist’s Statement

"I attempt to depict the essence of my subject to communicate its special qualities that will resonate with viewers." Pat states, "Crucial to this process is depicting light and color relationships. Before starting a painting, I study the direction and color temperature of the light and analyze its effects on the subject. Then selecting appropriate color choices and making my visual approach clear are important in creating a successful work. These tools help me to convey what I see that feeds my soul and I want others to see that beauty as well."