MEMBER FEATURE:
SPENCER PATRICK, Artist
Our monthly Member Feature aims to showcase the talent that occupies our buildings and celebrate their work.
This month, we interviewed Rockella Space Member Spencer Patrick to learn more about his practice and he uses narrative paintings to portray life’s lessons.
Spencer is a mixed media artist and moved into Brown Bears Studios in 2021. Originally from Columbiana, Ohio, Spencer went to Kent State University to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication Design with a minor in Painting. This focus on design and communication allowed him to study composition while focusing on the message. The painting minor allowed him to delve into art history while honing in on the technical skills he uses in every work.
Spencer works as a full-time graphic designer for a real estate agency in Manhattan while devoting his spare time to creating in his studio. This balance forces him to use his time wisely while also influencing a sense of urgency in the work. Spencer goes by his artist name, PARCHPAK, which he established in 2017 and has turned it into his business and brand.
To learn more about the creatives who call Rockella Space home, head over to the People page for a full list of in-depth interviews.
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Spencer Patrick. I am originally from Columbiana, Ohio, and an artist who works primarily in painting. I moved to Brooklyn in 2021 and got my studio a few months after getting settled. My creative practice involves recognizing and elaborating on daily emotions and interactions through visual art.
View of Spencer’s studio at Brown Bears Studios
How long have you been at Rockella Space and what is your favorite thing about having a studio at One Eyed Studios?
Just over 2 years. My favorite thing is the accessibility along with the community it has offered me. I am forever grateful for the connections I have made through the studio space.
Spencer in his studio at Brown Bears Studios
Have you connected and/or created a community with any other artists in the building?
Yes, i have been in contact with a few different painters and musicians since I joined Rockella. There’s great work being created all throughout the building, which is inspiring. Some of the connections have become friends, helping with critiques and overall challenging narratives that we explore, which is great.
Night of Joy, 2024, Acrylic, 30×24″
Tell us about your work. What inspires you to create the work that you do?
I think creating a moment’s energy can be more compelling than a literal representation of a subject. I’ve always gravitated to this type of work. My parents met in photography school, both have a great eye for detail. I was somewhat compelled to steer away to explore into abstraction. It interests me that we can create new ways of seeing the world, with only so much time to explore.
Spencer with his work at Over-Compression at One Eyed Studios
Your artist statement speaks to a "relentless pursuit of meaning in life." How do you channel that quest into your creative process when starting a new piece?
Every time I start a piece it’s an opportunity for my energy to be encapsulated. It’s documentation that I was here and I had feelings. My perspective can relate to others which has become inspiring to me to continue creating, which fulfills me. Each piece is a reminder of a different specific instance in my life, which acts as a reminder to appreciate the moment.
Modern Venus, 2024, Acrylic, 34×40″
In your work, you explore a wide range of human emotions, from euphoria to desperation. How do you approach visually representing such intense, contrasting emotions?
I find different palettes and compositions can drive such emotions, sometimes subtly and other times harshly. Warm tones can invite or burn while cold tones can soothe or depress.
Spencer with his work at Over-Compression at One Eyed Studios
You mention that your work encapsulates moments where you pause to reflect on the significance of being alive. Can you walk us through a specific piece where you feel this reflection is most present?
I have a work I completed earlier this year titled, Baby Crib. It’s a moment when I realized that someone was a much different person than I thought prior. I reflected on the matter and made a representation of them through shapes and colors. From the original encounter to the finished work, I relate back to this moment as an instance where I felt shock and emotion to a degree that I had not in a while. These are the moments I feel most alive, and seem to represent.
Supper, 2024, Acrylic, 40×60″
You’ve evolved through embracing pivotal life experiences. How do you balance the personal narratives in your art while creating something that resonates with a wider audience?
I think the commonality is the relation to emotions and energy. The palette, pace of the strokes, contrast, saturation, can give you a sense of how I was feeling that day reviewing the experiences. While the narrative is specific to me, the emotion is what carries to my audience. My main concern is making something I enjoy. I’m grateful for my audience but I need to prioritize myself.
Baby Crib, 2024, Acrylic, 20×16
Anxiety, particularly in your youth, has been a major theme in your journey. How has your artistic practice helped you navigate or even transform that anxiety into creative energy?
I feel most at home when I’m working or in the studio. That’s a specific type of tranquility that a therapist can’t offer. I did sports when I was little through high school, so I think I got my nerves out through exercise, but now I channel it thought my artwork, which has been more beneficial than not.
As a multimedia artist, do you find certain materials or mediums lend themselves better to expressing particular emotions or themes in your work?
I find saturation to be a big contrast from one medium to another. So if I’m working on something softer, I would use a more mute medium. Bold narratives get the fancy coat.
Forbidden Fruit, 2024, Acrylic, 46×32″
Your art represents "moments of pause" in your life. How do you decide when a piece is finished, or when it has captured that moment fully?
That’s something I wrestle with. I can overwork a painting, and have a few times. As I’m attempting to encapsulate energy, it can convincingly be portrayed a few moments into creating. Sometimes you can become static through refining, but I’m recognizing it more and taking my time in the preliminary stages to appreciate these moments in the work that can’t be recreated.
View of Spencer’s studio at Brown Bears Studios
In your journey of embracing the uncontrollable aspects of life, has there been a turning point in your art where this acceptance became particularly evident in your work?
I think this transformation in my life came well before I started to take my artwork seriously. This is back before I found out that I wanted to pursue art. My work is a result of this turning point. Everything created comes from my wanting to tell the story of my discoveries, preferences, and experiences.
Endless, 2024, Acrylic, 24×16″
"Parchpak" is a fascinating concept that you describe as embodying a visionary’s journey. Can you tell us more about the significance of this concept and how it shapes your artistic identity?
The journey is my experience and how I react and reflect upon it. My perspective is how I tell the story in the world I create in the artwork, which is limitless. I embody the energy of the narrative through my physical approach to the work. If I’m angry, I’ll paint aggressively. If I’m feeling peaceful the strokes will flow.
Spencer in his studio at Brown Bears Studios
As a Brooklyn-based artist, how does the energy and complexity of the city influence your work and the themes you explore?
The city endlessly supplies me with new content. The full spectrum of personalities and social interactions is eye candy for me to find out about. The energy of the work embodies the tone of my experience in the city, which speaks for itself, I love it here!
If you were to invite anyone alive or dead to a dinner party, who would be on your guest list?
Mac Miller.
View of Spencer’s studio at Brown Bears Studios
What advice would you give to aspiring creative, particularly those wanting to move to NYC, who are looking to pursue a career in the creative printing world?
There’s not much free time. If you’re going to make it happen, you really have to make it happen. Build up your connections and use them wherever you can. It doesn’t matter if it’s someone that you end up borrowing a saw from, or someone to help recommend shipping methods- all connections will help you out at some point.
What projects have you got coming up?
Focusing on building up a show’s worth of material on this current theme.
View of Spencer’s studio at Brown Bears Studios
Where can people see your work in IRL or online, and how can people contact you for a studio visit?
Instagram/TikTok: @parchpak
Studio visits: spencer@parchpak.com