Capturing art all around
By Lisa Davis-Burnett
They call her the Queen of Hats. She paints images of hats, uses hats in collages, and wears hats that she has transformed into pieces of art. Patty's fascination with hats is akin to Salvador Dali's obsession with melting clocks, Edgar Dega's studies of ballerinas or Rene Magritte's unblinking focus on men in derbies with umbrellas. For Patty, it's hats – their shape, colour, significance, and every nuance of their... well, hat-ness. Once you find something interesting, there are thousands of ways to study it, to display it, and to see it anew. But in truth, it's not only hats that capture her imagination.
Patty Meotti is one of those artists that embraces everything she sees, turns it into a thing of beauty, and suddenly it is transformed into something completely new and unique. As I visited with her, I became more and more impressed with her dedication and her art. She is classically trained in her home city of Milan, Italy. She used to be an illustrator for magazines and, six years ago, a car accident left her paralyzed for seven months. Now her art is less precise, but just as inspired. She has survived, adapted, and thrived here in her new home on the Friendly Island. "So often, I think with this accident, I start to change my life. I can't paint anymore, not like that. My hand doesn't have precision like before. So I start to change all my things, and I start to do all the things I have inside my head."
She uses acrylic, along with some secret materials that give a unique texture to the paintings, and she incorporates found items in such a way that each piece is wholly unconventional, yet integrated and balanced. Some of her creations are termed "art povre" or "poor art," she uses spoons, toothbrushes, polystyrene and buttons. She says to me with great enthusiasm, "Look at this; what's this? Nothing!" Patty tends towards large paintings, and works with a compulsive fervour. Her large villa, which she rents, is filled to the brim with art on every wall, above every door, stacked in the corners of the room.
In addition to painting, Patty is a self-taught photographer who often sends photos of wildlife into The Daily Herald for publication. She watches the sea every day and, with her long lens, finds beautiful birds, jumping dolphins, even sharks, whales, rays, and a myriad of other creatures that delight her no end. She has published a book of her photographs of wildlife and nature which she proudly displays in her home. All the photos were taken right from her terrace. "I never saw so many natural things, and I am so happy, I scream like a baby!" Patty's Italian heritage and rich accent are intriguing aspects of her vibrant and bubbly personality, she is simply an enchanter!
Many of her paintings and creations will be at Art in the Park next Sunday. Be sure to pass by and see her hats and sculptures and to get to know Patty Meotti.
