Richard Patterson: Paintings from Dallas

In his first solo exhibition in the UK since 1997, Richard Patterson unveils a breathtaking group of new work that demonstrates his skill as one of Britain’s most talented artists. 
 
This exhibition of 4 paintings and a selection of drawings is a critique of contemporary American culture and the experience of an Englishman living first in New York City, and more recently in Dallas, Texas.
 
‘Culture Station no. 4, Back at the dealership’ is a large-scale painting which juxtaposes a red Toyota truck, indigenous to his new home of Dallas where consumerism and an obsession with material objects is prevalent, with a seductive thigh adorned by a gun slung in a holster and a self portrait of the artist, wearing the sneakers and shades of a typical American surfer ‘dude’.  This is only the 3rd self portrait of the artist’s career, although the recurring motif of the Minotaur in Patterson’s oeuvre is often considered to be a representation of the artist.
 
‘Backyard Ritual’ depicts a gun-toting cowboy figurine easily interpreted both as a self-portrait of the artist holding his weapon (a paintbrush), and a comment on the prevalence of guns in contemporary American society.
 
In ‘Road Agent’ Richard Patterson reverts to his signature technique of daubing the figurine with paint, photographing it and reproducing it as a hyper-real painting, taking the model cowboy to another dimension.
 
‘Reef Girl’ is a sensual painting indicative of the artists fascination with paint.  Taking a simple blob of paint, he transforms it into an almost pornographic abstract form, reflecting the dichotomy of the American society where a thriving porn industry exists within a deeply Christian society. 
 
Richard Patterson creates paintings in the traditional medium of oil on canvas.  He also embraces new technology to create unique computer-generated drawings, which assimilate images from the internet, the mass media, and details of his own paintings as a way of researching and developing each concept.
 
These paintings delight the viewer with their complexity and critique of the American way of life, its cars, guns, girls and media, and also provide a more instant aesthetic gratification with their sensual use of paint.  He also pushes the boundaries of drawing, taking the influence of Richard Hamilton to another level and creating a new kind of computer-generated drawing for the internet age.
 
There will be a catalogue to accompany the exhibition with an essay by Matthew Collings.