TANGERINE

Partick Church tells stories through his art and designs. He is a New York based artist who attempts to blurs the lines between art and fashion.

His stories, told through avante-garde designs, evoke a sense of the glamorous yet gritty; a feel of down-and-out LA strippers and lonely hearts Mid-Western cowboys. His website and instagram account are dappled with sheer, snakeskin, leather and mesh, decorated with his bold and vivid illustrations.

Why do you paint?

I guess because it’s one of the only things I think I’m really good at. I paint because it helps me make sense of the world around me. I find it comforting and I guess it sort of comes like second nature to me; it’s just like a compulsion and I have to make work.

What does it feel like when you live through that compulsion?

It can feel really cathartic and like a release, or at the same time it can feel really emotional and stressful. It’s a really emotional process. It can definitely feel like work from a personal point of view. I can find it quite emotionally draining to keep coming up with work all the time. It can also feel really exhilarating. It depends. If I’m excited about it, then it’s a lot more fun.

I’m intrigued by what inspires you. Does the item come into your world, and then you paint it - or - does the idea come to mind and then you search for the item?

I’m inspired by - at the moment - telling stories. Each one of my collections is a moment. Everything I’m working on at the moment has a theme. So my new collection is based around a theme and then I’ll source garments depending on the theme. The collection I’m just finishing now was about getting out of bed and not really getting changed, so it’s a lot of pyjamas and robes. It really depends. It can be based on a particular feeling or an emotion or a moment, and I’ll base the clothing around that. The garment always comes secondary. I consider myself an artist and not a designer, so I’m always much more interested in the emotion or the moment that it conveys rather than the actual garment. I find it really fun sourcing garments and having things made.

What brings you back to the body again and again within your work?

Honestly? I just couldn’t paint landscapes. I’ve always been drawn to the mind as well, I find it so fascinating: the human mind, and sexuality. I love people-watching. People just really interest me. I like to paint exaggerations and warped views of reality. People just really interest me. I don’t know what draws me to people all the time, and especially portraiture. I find portraiture aesthetically pleasing.

What has your journey been like as an artist? Has your work always been well received?

I mean I left school, and went to art school and dropped out a few times, and worked in a few dead end jobs, and then… I did a show maybe two years ago and sold pretty much all of the work. I’m only 26, so I did an art show, and it sold, and then I was encouraged by people around me to really pursue it. I met a couple of really cool people and kept making work. Then I met my husband, and he’s American, so we ended up in New York. I couldn’t work for a while because of immigration. I always painted on Canvas. My husband is the greatest inspiration to me out of anything or anyone.I just find him so interesting; his eye and perception… I don’t really listen too a lot of peoples’ opinion but I just really respect his, you know? I still work with him directly a lot of the time. I really respect his voice. This is only the second collection I’ve done. It’s gone from me doing it on my bedroom floor to this like… It’s really cool. I am so grateful. It’s happened so quickly that I’m still in it, you know? But then, you’re only as good as your last thing. I want the brand to remain quite small and work with people we’re really interested in. I haven’t gone in to massive mass production yet because I just don’t think I want too.

What do you think the future holds for you?

Honestly, I don’t know, and I don’t really like that question in a way. I take things a day at a time at the moment. I suffer from anxiety so it’s not good to put too much pressure on me. I do things one day at a time to just try to be the best I can be. Otherwise I’m my own worst enemy, to an ‘extreme’ extreme.

It’s a theme that keeps recurring in these artist chats. We are all our own worst enemy.

We are. We are. My analytical brain picks myself apart.

Despite being based in the highly competitive and artistically saturated New York City, Patrick Church has still managed to carve out a well-deserved name with his unique and distinctive designs. Check out his stuff at www.patrickchurchartist.com or @patrickchurchny

Images source https://www.instagram.com/patrickchurchny/