Patricia, also known as Pat, is 25 years old and currently completing a Sociology degree with a minor in Psychology at the University of Calgary. She hopes to create more and dedicate more time to her artistic practice. Patricia is especially interested in integrating aspects of her academic background into her art and is excited to see where that journey will take her.
It’ll all work out
About the Artwork
This self-portrait was based off of a photograph taken by a friend at a time when I felt most undone. I had just lost my job, dyed my hair red, and was drowning in the quiet shame of unproductivity—a weight heavy for someone raised to equate worth with work. In my culture, we are taught resilience, not vulnerability; prayer, not dialogue. But in my friends, I found bayanihan—a gentle, unwavering presence of your community. This piece is a love letter to that community, a reminder that even in the ache of dissonance, we are held. And slowly, we begin again.
Patricia’s Why
I’ve always been an avid artist ever since I learned to pick up a pencil, and I’d like to hold on to drawing and making visuals and claim them some of the only things I’m naturally talented at. However, lately, I find that I only gravitate towards drawing and creating when I’m going through particularly difficult periods in my life – so my art is deeply personal to me in that sense. When I do find the urge to create, I want to create art that is simultaneously personal to me and easy for others to connect with. I find inspiration in my everyday life, everyday scenes, everyday objects, and everyday people – because I’d like to think that there’s always something beautiful and extraordinary to take out of what we think is ordinary.
Digital Painting
2025
