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The Artistic Vision and Popular Strength of P. BUCKLEY MOSS By Robert E. Martin "Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable." - George Bernard Shaw "The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." - Aristotle When Patricia Buckley was a little girl growing up in the Richmond Borough of New York City, her Grandfather would fondly refer to her as 'Split the Wind', because whenever there was a message to be taken from one point to another, she would be the one to volunteer, running faster each time because she knew he would be watching. The phrase seems appropriate for an artist as prolific as P. Buckley Moss - an artist that as a young child was told by one of her teachers that she was "not proficient in anything." Diagnosed with dyslexia, the process of perception was different for Pat than it was for other children, which translated into an innate need to draw and create. Subsequently, her mother enrolled Pat in the noted Washington Irving School for Fine Arts, which is where Pat's artistic abilities were both encouraged and nourished. ©P. Buckley Moss In 1951 Pat received a scholarship to New York's Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art and received her first major art award in 1967. The uniqueness of her style, the warmth generated by her subject matter and her ability to communicate on many levels to people quickly won her widespread recognition. Her popularity in this country has earned her a reputation as 'The People's Artist' with the many varied watercolors, etchings, and silk-screens that she has created. This led to an exhibit in Japan in 1990 of 53 of her paintings and etchings at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum. Today thousands of collectors throughout the world have recognized Pat's significance and the distinctive look of her artwork. Indeed, in 1986 the P. Buckley Moss Society was established by zealous collectors to assist the artist in her many charitable endeavors. This Society now has some sixty chapters and a membership of approximately 20,000. On October 19-21st, a Regional Collectors Convention will be held at the Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth, whereby P. Buckley Moss will present her newest painting, titled Loving Memories that features Saginaw's Holy Family Church. Additionally, Moss will present a series of several new watercolors of notable Michigan lighthouses. Convention tickets are only $6.00 for the weekend and available at The Frame Shop & Gallery in Saginaw. ©P. Buckley Moss In addition to the exhibitions, lectures performances, demonstrations and family oriented festivities will take place all weekend. No other artist has done as much for our tri-city area as Pat. Internationally known and collected, she has always harbored a special place in her heart for this area. When asked shy she keeps coming back she replies, "Because I always feel so very loved when I am here. I feel a spiritual connection to my collectors." Recently the Review conducted an interview P. Buckely Moss to discern her own thoughts about the 'creative process'. Review: Is there a certain defining moment when you knew that your life would be devoted towards pursuing your artistic vision? P.Buckley Moss: The defining moment came when I was accepted into The Washington Irving School for Girls, a high school in Manhattan. The school attached a high priority to art, and it was my art that won me a place at the school. My mother had been a student at the school when she lived in Little Italy after coming to this country from Sicily. The school kept places for the daughters of Italian immigrants, and that is how she was able to be a student at the school. My mother benefited from the art education at the school and later had a successful career as a designer of children's clothes. As a young girl, I greatly admired my mother's design talents and would spend hours watching her at her work. ©P. Buckley Moss When a teacher at my grade school told my mother that the only talent I had was my art, my mother resolved to get me into her old school. This took some persuading on my mother's part because we then lived on Staten Island, which was not within the Washington Irving student area. A combination of my mother showing my art portfolio to the school principal and an arrangement whereby I lived with an aunt on Long Island during the week did the trick, and I was accepted. Arriving in a school where my one talent was well respected was a turning point in my life, and from that moment on I knew that my career would be founded in the visual arts. Review: Your work possesses a very subdued and calming style to it, with smooth contours and soft colors. How did you develop this very distinctive style? P. Buckley Moss: My distinctive style was not the result of a conscious development. It evolved from the way I drew as a child. My paintings are strong in design. This is a quality that has endeared them to the Japanese people who have always considered design a key element in art. Maybe my strength in design and in color combinations comes from the influence of my dress designer mother. Another reason that my paintings are different, I believe, is because I am a learning different person. I used be called dyslexic, but "learning different" is a description I prefer. Many learning different people have an above average creative ability, and their creativity is often original or different. My art was different in style from the start, and as a young girl I found out that people liked the way my paintings turned out. My paintings and drawings was my one key to success. When at school I was shown how I should be forming my paintings, but I rebelled and continued to do things my way. Vincent Van Gogh was learning different, and his style was so radical that in his lifetime he was never able to sell a painting. Now his paintings are among the most prized in the world. I am more fortunate and have the joy of knowing that my paintings bring pleasure to many people. ©P. Buckley Moss I think my paintings are unique because they are my own interpretation of the spirit or essence of the subject. My horses are not like anyone else's horses. I do not set out to portray the horse in exact detail. That is better done by a camera than a painter. I set out to show the spiritual as well as the physical majesty, grace, and power of the horse and to show his relationship to mankind. The same with buildings: I study the form of a building, but I do not then create a painting showing all the detail. To do so would smother the spirit of the building. Review: Do you have a personal favorite work that you've created? P. Buckley Moss: I truly do not have a favorite piece. My paintings are like my children. I love them all. Well, when I have just finished a particularly challenging painting and the way it has evolved delights me, that painting will be very much in my mind and the memory of it will give me special pleasure. It can be that way with one of my children or grandchildren, but then the moment passes and all are equal again because they are all a part of me, as are my paintings. Review: What do you feel is the most challenging thing about being a contemporary artist? P. Buckley Moss: I am not sure that the challenges are any different today than they have always been. The biggest challenge is to be heard and to have your talents recognized. For every artist who makes a good living out of his art, there are thousands of others who are struggling financially and who have to find other sources of income. I am sure this has always been the case. Vincent Van Gogh is an obvious example. I have been fortunate. To an extent, my unique style has helped me. My art is recognizably mine. For me the challenge is to keep alive the adventure of art--to find new challenges and to have the energy to tackle them. Like a writer, I keep my eyes open for new subjects and for new nuances. I observe all the time. Even after more than half a century of drawing and painting, I am still spotting mannerisms in people and animals that I have yet to show in my work. I find children an unending source of inspiration. Their trust and their innocence are a joy that we can all benefit from remembering. I am currently working on a large canvas on which the image relates to September 11 of this year. It will be used to benefit the disaster relief funds. I have to show the horror of the absolute destruction of lives and buildings on the one hand and the incredible courage of the rescue workers on the other and, over the whole, speak of the resurrection of the souls of those who perished. Review: How do you see your style evolving? P. Buckley Moss: I hope my style will always continue to evolve. My overall way of seeing life and all that makes it will never change, but under the umbrella of my style there is always an evolution. Art is a constant discovery, and the more you practice it the more your art evolves. I may paint four versions of a subject, each an evolvement on the one that came before it. Tickets for the P. Buckley Moss Convention at the Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth October 19-21st are available at The Frame Shop. Convention tickets are only $6.00 for the weekend, with a luncheon tour for $25.00 that includes a trolley ride to Celebration Square Carousel and the Andersen Enrichment Center, catered by the Montague Inn. A dinner dance with the artist at the Bavarian Inn is also available for only $25.00. Call the Frame Shop at 989-792-0692 for more details. The illustrations above are a new series from P. Buckley Moss entitled "Lights of the Great Lakes." These illustrations will be for sale at the Frankenmuth Convention at the Bavarian Inn on Oct 19-21.
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