ABOUT PAT FLANAGAN
I’ve been creating digital art since the mid-1980’s — the stone age, basically. First, arranging the limited pixels of the Commodore 64 and early Apple Lisa and the original Macintosh, then moving light years ahead to the Amiga. After settling into the PC world, I was one of the first Photoshop users when it appeared for Windows in 1993, using it for work and business, but continuing my artistic explorations on the side. Over the decades, I’ve accumulated apps and plugins, still using the ones that still work, as many of them provide options that other digital artists don’t have.
My art is, by and large, digital collage — an assemblage of parts to make a whole. I continue to embrace new digital art technologies, including AI, which I use to create elements that get considerable manual revision before being placed into compositions. My ethical framework for AI usage: 1) No artist names are ever used in AI art prompts; and 2) Manual revision is always done to each AI-generated element. The finished work you see will not be the result of a single prompt, but potentially dozens of hours of work AFTER the original generation of any AI elements. I view AI as a tool, not a complete means to an end.
This is the sum total of discussion I will engage in about my methods and process. I will not apologize for the art I create. While I enjoy eye candy as much as anyone, I prefer art that makes a point. Art should stir up emotions, whether evoking pleasant memories or spurring conversation on a divisive issue. I hope my art does this for you, even if you dislike it. Hate is an emotion, and emotions are good.
EXHIBITIONS
Location: Edmonds Arts Festival, Edmonds, WA
Exhibition: 2024 Juried Exhibition
Dates: June 14-16, 2024
Work(s) Exhibited: "Magenta Pop Stijl 007 - Order Around Column" (Limited edition signed prints 12"x18"), "Peony Ruler 009" (Limited edition unique signed print, 24"x36"), "The Sadness" (Limited edition unique signed print, 24"x30")
Award(s): "Magenta Pop Stijl 007 - Order Around Column" 3rd Place for Digital Media
Location: 3 Square Art Gallery, Fort Collins, CO
Exhibition: NOOBAA 23 - Non-Objective Abstract Art Juried Exhibition
Dates: September 15 - October 20, 2023
Work(s) Exhibited: "Magenta Pop Stijl 007 - Order Around Column" and "Magenta Pop Stijl 017 - Yellow Invades" (Limited edition signed prints, 12"x18")
Location: Foster Gallery, U of WI Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Exhibition: Exchanges Juried Exhibition
Dates: September 8 - October 4, 2023
Work(s) Exhibited: "Twins" (Limited edition signed print, 11"x14")
Location: Schack Art Center, Everett WA
Exhibition: Schacktoberfest Juried Exhibition
Dates: September 7 - September 30, 2023
Work(s) Exhibited: "Life Embraces Death" and "Vanitas Corvus" (Limited edition signed prints, 11"x14")Note: "Life Embraces Death" chosen as sole promotional image for online and print promotion of exhibition
Location: Mattie Kelly Arts Center, NW Florida State College, Niceville, FL
Exhibition: 31st Annual Emerald Coast National Juried Exhibition
Dates: August 31 - December 8, 2023
Work(s) Exhibited: "Peony Ruler 009" (Limited edition unique signed print, 24"x36")
Location: Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
Exhibition: 2023 - 50 Or Older Juried Exhibition
Dates: August 3-31, 2023
Work(s) Exhibited: "Peony Ruler 009" (Limited edition unique signed print, 24"x36")
Location: Boomer Gallery, London, UK
Exhibition: The New Renaissance Juried Exhibition
Dates: July 7-12, 2023
Work(s) Exhibited: "Pandemic" and "Driving To Destiny" (Limited edition prints, 12"x15")
Location: Schack Art Center, Everett WA
Exhibition: 23rd Annual Juried Exhibition
Dates: June 15 - August 26, 2023
Work(s) Exhibited: "Pandemic" (Limited edition signed print, 16"x20")