Patrick Saunders is an artist, painting and creating art while traveling across North America in an Airstream Bambi with his photographer wife, Kimberly. He has studied with many renowned painters, including Mark English, Malcolm Liepke, Wilbur Niewald, Richard Schmid, and Burton Silverman. Painting a variety of subjects including portraits, pet portraits, landscapes, cityscapes and florals.
Always seeking the next challenge, Patrick has worked as an illustrator, designer, animator, educator, musician, entrepreneur, and a fine artist. Throughout his career, Patrick has been recognized by his peers for outstanding work, earning awards from the American Advertising Federation, the International Academy of the Visual Arts, the Web Marketing Association, the Society of Illustrators, and Communication Arts. He was featured by Southwest Art Magazine as one of their 21 Artists to Watch Under 31. His students at the Kansas City Art Institute voted to honor Patrick with the award for Educator of the Year. In 2013, Patrick turned his attention to plein air painting, winning awards at numerous nationally recognized competitions including Plein Air Easton, Easels In Frederick, En Plein Air Texas, Telluride Plein Air, Richmond Plein Air and Paint the Peninsula. |
I describe myself an “art fanatic”. I purchased my first painting at age 16 using my entire summer’s earnings. I love the painting as much now as I did then. I studied watercolor painting in high school and college, but I opted to pursue a Graduate Degree in Business.
I ended up being the President of an Automotive Accessories Manufacturing company with 650+ domestic employees and plants in 6 states along with China, Indonesia, Canada, and Mexico. I traveled extensively and tied many of my business trips to gallery shows and museum exhibitions. I always enjoyed studying artists and following their artwork and sales. Collecting art continued to be a passion. Following the sale of the business, I joined Legacy Gallery as General Manager. I cherish my 10+ years with the galleries in Jackson, Scottsdale, and Bozeman. Later, I was the Associate Publisher of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine and PleinAir Magazine for 18 months. I have recently joined Gallery Wild in Jackson as Director of Sales. I continue to be passionate about artists and their success. My wife occasionally asks me if I will ever get tired of looking at art. Not a chance! |
JUDGES COMMENTS
JUDGES COMMENTS
Patrick Saunders, Artist
It was an honor to judge this event, and I am greatly disappointed that I was unable to do so in person. I haven’t been to the area in a few years, and I had looked forward to not only viewing all of the work by other artists, but painting some of my own in such a beautiful area.
Going through all of the work in the show made this desire to paint on site even greater. I’m inspired and eager to be a part of next year’s event. The best paintings not only work on a level of technical expertise, but tell a story about the artist’s personal experience with the landscape, and so many of these works achieved that. So many in fact, that my responsibility as a judge was extremely difficult. I only wish we had twice as many awards. This is exactly what I strive for in my own work and what I look for when evaluating paintings in a show. Tell me your story, set a mood, invite me to explore, and the painting draws me in.
Congratulations to everyone who participated, even in this particularly difficult year where a new approach was required. As artists, you are a constant reminder that the world is a wonderful place even in times of hardship.
Scott Jones, Fine Art Consultant and Gallery Director
It was a pleasure to be involved in judging this year's event. I have followed the Driggs Plein Air Festival for a number of years. And I have taken the opportunity to attend the event the last three years. It is one of my personal favorite art events of the year. The quality of artists giving workshops is superb. The past judges were great choices. And they always have a strong group of participants. It is located in an ideal area for plein air painting for a couple of reasons. First, it is a great place to paint. It's hard to beat the venue. Second, they have a loyal following who enjoys the event and buys paintings. Third, they are close enough to Jackson Hole to get attention from collectors and galleries in one of the best art towns in the west. And the success of some of the past participants and award winners in getting gallery and other show opportunities is impressive. Artists do reach out to me looking for opportunities and events for their work. If I think they are a match, I always highly recommend they consider the Driggs Plein Air Festival. I also reach out to artists who I think might benefit from the event and the workshops.
I look forward to attending the Festival again next year. I am happy they went forward with the online event this year to continue the momentum the festival has built over the past several years. I always find it interesting judging an event with another artist. I listened closely to Patrick's comments on some of the pieces that he really liked. We were very much in agreement on most of the awards winners, but also had some different ideas on some of the paintings. I have found that I learn most by watching painters paint, and listening to other artists' critiques of works. How do I go about picking a Best in Show? I usually run through all of the entries quickly. After doing so, I jot down any that generated any type of emotional response. Does the painting tell a story? Does it invite me in? And then I go back through and study each entry more carefully. I also take a moment and think - if I was presenting this painting to a potential buyer, what would I say? What are the strengths of the painting?
Patrick Saunders, Artist
It was an honor to judge this event, and I am greatly disappointed that I was unable to do so in person. I haven’t been to the area in a few years, and I had looked forward to not only viewing all of the work by other artists, but painting some of my own in such a beautiful area.
Going through all of the work in the show made this desire to paint on site even greater. I’m inspired and eager to be a part of next year’s event. The best paintings not only work on a level of technical expertise, but tell a story about the artist’s personal experience with the landscape, and so many of these works achieved that. So many in fact, that my responsibility as a judge was extremely difficult. I only wish we had twice as many awards. This is exactly what I strive for in my own work and what I look for when evaluating paintings in a show. Tell me your story, set a mood, invite me to explore, and the painting draws me in.
Congratulations to everyone who participated, even in this particularly difficult year where a new approach was required. As artists, you are a constant reminder that the world is a wonderful place even in times of hardship.
Scott Jones, Fine Art Consultant and Gallery Director
It was a pleasure to be involved in judging this year's event. I have followed the Driggs Plein Air Festival for a number of years. And I have taken the opportunity to attend the event the last three years. It is one of my personal favorite art events of the year. The quality of artists giving workshops is superb. The past judges were great choices. And they always have a strong group of participants. It is located in an ideal area for plein air painting for a couple of reasons. First, it is a great place to paint. It's hard to beat the venue. Second, they have a loyal following who enjoys the event and buys paintings. Third, they are close enough to Jackson Hole to get attention from collectors and galleries in one of the best art towns in the west. And the success of some of the past participants and award winners in getting gallery and other show opportunities is impressive. Artists do reach out to me looking for opportunities and events for their work. If I think they are a match, I always highly recommend they consider the Driggs Plein Air Festival. I also reach out to artists who I think might benefit from the event and the workshops.
I look forward to attending the Festival again next year. I am happy they went forward with the online event this year to continue the momentum the festival has built over the past several years. I always find it interesting judging an event with another artist. I listened closely to Patrick's comments on some of the pieces that he really liked. We were very much in agreement on most of the awards winners, but also had some different ideas on some of the paintings. I have found that I learn most by watching painters paint, and listening to other artists' critiques of works. How do I go about picking a Best in Show? I usually run through all of the entries quickly. After doing so, I jot down any that generated any type of emotional response. Does the painting tell a story? Does it invite me in? And then I go back through and study each entry more carefully. I also take a moment and think - if I was presenting this painting to a potential buyer, what would I say? What are the strengths of the painting?