The weather is warm, a long weekend promises fun and relaxing times with family and friends, and it’s First Friday in the Village! Stopping in at Village Frame and Gallery is a must while you browse the shops in the Village. We’re honored to host Outside In – A Lifetime of Work by Pat Leach, opening today at 5 pm!
“I am an outsider in the art world, meaning I have never taken lessons or classes in how to paint and draw — at least not since the one class taught by Mr. Beck when I was a boy. I have always enjoyed looking at art displayed in museums and am a frequent visitor to libraries where I study art books and magazines.” – – Pat Leach, 2022
Fun and thought provoking, surprising and charismatic, Outside In – A Lifetime of Work by Pat Leach, delights the senses at every turn. With a story of recovery, acceptance and friendship, Pat Leach’s life shares the same indelible qualities. Every picture tells a story, literally – Pat has written his thoughts and prose on the back of many of his paintings. His imagery, untrained and loose, flows from still life to the sea, from the female form to animals. Many pieces were reworked over time to please the artist.
Artist’s Statement
Pat Leach’s paintings are a living testament to the healing and restorative power of art. Created as part of his personal recovery since 1995, his paintings were private possessions in his home until his April 2022 diagnosis of glioblastom — an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer. Each painting is a tangible moment from his decades of recovery and sobriety. Now he has decided that sharing his healing with the world is a part of his larger purpose — in the hope that each painting comes alive as it finds a new home where it can continue its job. See more about Pat’s art and writings here.
About Pat Leach
Born and raised in the Buffalo area near Niagara Falls on a large island surrounded by the Niagara River, Pat is the son of a bricklayer. His mother was a secretary. After graduating from Cornell University in 1972, he earned his Master’s Degrees from Washington State University in Sociology and Education. Pat has lived a stone’s throw away from Multnomah Village for much of his adult life.
“The problem for me,” he says, “has been that I could never decide what I wanted to do to earn a living using my degrees.” After pursuing careers in teaching, technical writing, and as executive director of a small university agricultural institute, Pat found his purpose in his early fifties. “It took me years to know I was best off working with my hands and skills outdoors doing gardening, caring for clients’ yards, and painting and writing whatever I want without trying to support myself through my art.”
Village frame and Gallery is pleased to feature Pat’s large body of work in the Gallery through the month of July. We are located at 7808 SW Capitol Highway, Portland 97219 in the heart of Multnomah Village. Our regular hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm and Saturday 10 am to 2 pm.