INTERVIEW: Patricia Gerkin | Ogunquit Art Association (OAA) Showcase Artist

Patricia Gerkin is an Ogunquit Art Association member-artist (Painter) and one of our 6 Showcase Artists at Barn Gallery for the 2024 Season.

Patricia Gerkins’ Showcase at Barn Gallery will run from September 11th – October 14th, 2024 with an Opening Reception on Saturday, September 14th (from 4PM – 7:30PM) and a Gallery Talk (along with Painter, Merrill Black Aharonian) on Thursday, September 19th (at 6PM).

Learn more about the Barn Gallery 2024 Schedule: barngallery.org/2024-season

How long have you been a member of the OAA? And what do you like best about it?

Have been an active member of OAA for the last 12-13 years.

I like it because it gives me a place to try new things, to experiment and get some feedback on my choice of new directions. I also like the opportunity to remain engaged in the art world with like minded artists who are seeking to grow and fine tune their art. It is a great place to meet other artists and engage in art conversations that matter.

Does your showcase have a title?

Our showcase is titled “Soundings”, and I am sharing this showcase with Merrill Aharonian.

Can you tell us a little about the two artworks (which can be seen below this interview) that you’ve shared with us for this digital preview of your showcase?

These two pieces are part of a larger series about Kelp, an endangered species in some parts of the world. I am motivated to raise awareness among our viewership of the desperate need for caring for our planet, working to combat global warming, and human-caused climate change. It is an issue that we all can wrap our minds around but continue to watch the indifference of the vast majority of our population. For me, it is existential and needs to be addressed. Art is my language and this is how I address it.

Let’s talk, for a moment, about your creative process and what attracts you to your material choices.

I have been painting for the last 40+ years and have used watercolor, oil, acrylic, and for the last 18 years, encaustic. I still work in acrylic on canvas, but I have predominantly been working in encaustic on panels.

I tend to work in series because I like to investigate a particular concept and see where it leads. I am inspired by the natural world and I am very concerned with environmental issues, and I strive to bring awareness of the need to properly steward the resources and the health of our planet. I focus on vanished and endangered species, especially in our oceans and waterways.

The series I am showing in our Showcase has been in process for four years and is focused on Kelp. Kelp is an algae, under the umbrella of seaweeds, that is endangered in some areas of the world. That said, it is in Maine’s positive column that this state is finding ways to farm kelp, to market it as a nutritious food to be incorporated into our diets, and to recognize its ability to sequester carbon, one of our biggest spoilers in the climate change battle.

Encaustic as a medium is an ancient material once used in preserving and decorating the burial containers of the mummies in ancient Egypt. It has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years and artists are finding it is a beautiful, luminous surface that welcomes collage, transfers, inks, oils, oil sticks, and various mixed media. It is hot, molten wax that is spread, brushed, or poured onto a panel or stiff, absorbent substrate. It dries immediately and then must be melted again with a torch or heat gun to ensure it adheres to the layer below, and it is made for layering. It is a beautiful, seductive material that has enjoyed huge popularity in recent years, and I am one of its acolytes, under its spell.

Tell us about how this showcase moves your art journey forward.

I think that the Kelp series may be coming to an end now. The whole series numbers around 31-32 pieces, but only 17 pieces will show in this showcase. I’m feeing like I want to move on to something new, but I haven’t decided what that will be yet. That is always the question after a show, isn’t it? What is next? I think I would like to experiment for awhile, maybe even with new materials. I’m interested in focusing on paper for awhile and that may lead me to encaustic monotypes or oil sticks and cold wax. I’m not sure yet, but I am sure that the journey will be an adventure.

Pat Gerkin’s abstract paintings and encaustics have been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows throughout the Washington, DC area and the Greater Boston and New England area. Her work is in public and private and museum collections in the U.S., South America, and Europe. Memberships include New Hampshire Artists’ Association, Robert Levy Gallery, Portsmouth, NH; Associate Artist, Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, VA; New England Wax (former); Ogunquit Artists’ Association, Barn Gallery, Ogunquit, ME. Galleries include Art3Gallery, Manchester, NH; L’Attitude Art, Allston, MA.

LEARN MORE: gerkinstudios.com