Pat Gainor

Artist Q&A with Pat Gainor

“Magical Mystery”, oil, acrylic, and mixed media on canvas, 36 x 48 in | 91 x 122 cm, 2019

Why did you become an artist?

I could not not be an artist. I have been passionate about art all my life and through the course of several successful careers. While a model in New York, then an actress and TV host in L.A., I always painted. Now I am a full time artist. I have been rewarded with shows and sales all over the world. I love people’s response to my work and the excitement of working on and seeing my finished pieces.

How is your work different than everything out there?

As a second generation painter, I have concentrated on developing a unique language with my art incorporating pattern as texture.

How do you know when your work is finished?

When it takes my breath away! It may not happen every time, but when it does it is a good signal that I am done. You may have to move it to another wall or location to get another take on it. Don’t look at it until you are a distance away to get the full impact. If you are amazed it is a good time to stop.

“Summer Times”, oil and acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 in | 76 x 61 cm, 2019
Pat Gainor at the National Art Center Museum Tokyo, photo by Ed Tar.

What’s different about your current body of work?

In much of my latest work, yet unpublished, my exploration of pattern, color, movement and shapes evolves to its next stage of unique abstraction.

What’s coming up for you?

My work and show concept were selected for a 2021 solo exhibition at Gallery 825 in Los Angeles.  which will take place August 14 through September 10, 2021.  I have also been invited to participate in the American Exhibit at the Chiba City Museum of Art in Japan opening August 3, 2021.  Los Angeles-based curator and art writer Shana Nys Dambrot has chosen my work for the Los Angeles Association’s Open Show running December 12, 2020 – January 15, 2021.  I am also showing work in Los Angeles Association’s Arora exhibition which runs through December 11, 2020.

My work has been featured in seventeen museum exhibitions, most recently the National Art Center Tokyo Museum, where one of my paintings won the Golden Award of Excellence. I have exhibited in numerous solo and group shows in galleries and art institutions all over the world including Paris, London, New York, Miamim and Basel.  My work is on permanent display at the UCLA Medical Center.

Who are some of your favorite emerging artists?

Three of my favorite artists who have not yet reached the level of recognition that they deserve would be Laura Cullen, Osceola Refetoff, and Todd Williamson.

“A Curious Mind”, oil, acrylic, and mixed media on canvas, 30 x 40 in | 76 x 102 cm, 2020

To learn more about Pat and her work, please visit www.patgainor.com