Featured Artist of the Month : Patricia Maus Apr. 2014 | TheArtList - Art & Photo Calls for Visual Artists and Photographers.

Patricia Maus

New Orleans, Louisiana

Born and raised in New Orleans I grew up knowing one thing, I love the arts. Always involved in arts and arts training through school activities including a conservatory type high school, I lost interest because of high stress teachers pushing me. Not sure what I wanted to do in life, I completed a bachelor degree in teaching and masters degrees in gifted education and taught for 12 years. By May of 2006, I quit my full time teaching position and went back to school to paint. I completed my BFA in 2011 and now spend my time teaching art to charter school students throughout the city identified as talented, I paint, and especially enjoy gardening.

How and when did you start creating art?

Since I was two, I loved ballet class. I went on to play the clarinet in the fifth grade. In high school I applied to the arts conservatory high school and was accepted in art and music.

What media and genres do you work in?

I work in acrylic and oil on canvas or wood panel. My work is abstract.

Who or what are your influences?

Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, Jessica Stockholder, Mary Heilmann, Dana Schutz, and especially Albert Oehlen. My paintings come from my emotions. I do not have a plan when I approach the canvas. Only a palette, my emotional self, and possibly some inspiration from images I have collected.

What was your inspiration for Deer?

My inspiration for Deer is from a highly stylized drawing of a deer that I saw while reading a magazine. The painting looks nothing like the drawing.

Describe your creative process?

I work in three-hour time blocks and approach the canvas with a palette of color chosen and sometimes an image. As I paint, I react to what is happening and quit when I get tired. Some of my paintings have image in them, but not many. I always listen to music to stop the inner critique in my head.