Art, // October 12, 2015
Patrick McGrath Muñiz — ARTIST
Patrick McGrath Muñiz
Interview with artist Patrick McGrath Muñiz —
“THE DISNEYRICAN DREAMER” (2013)
24 x 30 Oil on canvas
1. Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Patrick McGrath Muñiz and I’m a artist from Puerto Rico now living in Houston, Texas. My work consists primarily of oil paintings on panels, retablo triptychs and canvas.
“PASITHEA” (2014)
Oil on canvas 20 x 24
2. Why art?
Humans have been painting for at least 40,000 years, far longer than doing agriculture and building cities. I find the art of painting as a link not only to our ancestral roots but as a path towards a spiritual connection with nature and with who we are in the world. My work is concerned with history, empire, colonialism, religion and how these are mirrored in our current consumer culture. For me, painting seems to be the best method to approach history and link these narratives into one story.
3. What is your earliest memory of wanting to be an artist?
I don’t ever remember wanting to be an artist in my childhood years but rather enjoyed drawing and creating more than any other game or toy. When I was old enough and it was time to decide what to study in college, I had no doubt in my mind that all I wanted to do was to create art. The problem was that I could not make up my mind as of which artistic discipline to concentrate on. I went from graphic design, to sculpture to digital design to painting. Since 1996 painting has been my favorite medium.
“LA RECONQUISTA” (2012)
24 x 18 Oil on wood triptych
4. What are your favorite subject(s) and media(s)?
My favorite subjects in art have been religious iconography, mythology and mysterious imagery with hidden meanings found in the Tarot, Astrology and Alchemy. I’ve worked with acrylics, encaustic, tempera and gouache but I always find myself going back to oil paints.
“EL INTERCAMBIO” (2015)
Oil on canvas 24 x 24
5. How do you work and approach your subject?
For me painting is becoming more and more the end result and not something I instantaneously come about in my studio. I prefer to study my subject, do some research, write and find interesting connections between different narratives through history before I even start to work on preliminary sketches for my paintings. The process is multilayered so the work in the end reflects a multiplicity of meanings and stories that are all connected by a central archetypal theme.
6. What are your favorite art work(s), artist(s)?
The Spanish painters Diego Velasquez, Francisco Goya, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Jusepe de Ribera as well as Puerto Rican colonial painter José Campeche are among my favorite artists.
“TECHNO MAGI” (2015)
Oil on wood panel 14 x 24
7. What are the best responses you have had to your work?
The best responses I’ve had for my work come from people who appreciate figurate art with good craftsmanship combined with social awareness, a message relevant to our times and a cause to which they can identify with.
“ADORACION CAPITAL” (2014)
Oil on canvas 30 x 30
8. What do you like about your work?
What I like about the work I create is it’s polysemic nature and ability to mean different things to different people. Even though there is a specific purpose and message behind my work, there is always space for re-interpreting and projecting more meaning into the work.
“THE SEED” (2014)
Oil on canvas 48 x 48
9. What advice would you give to other artists?
The best advice I can think of giving to other artists out there is to be always honest with yourself and your art, be diligent and disciplined and let your best work be seen by others as much as you can.
“THE GATHERING” (2014)
Oil on canvas 60 x 36
10. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
In 5 or 10 years I see myself showing my work in more museums and shows in the U.S. and abroad and publishing a book and my own deck of Tarot cards. In 15 to 20 years I can see myself teaching art again.
Patrick McGrath Muñiz
LINKS —
Website: www.patrickmcgrath-art.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrick.v.muniz?fref=ts
Facebook artist’s page: https://www.facebook.com/patrickart33/timeline?ref=page_internal
Blog: http://patrickmcgrath.blogspot.com/
Evoke Contemporary: http://www.evokecontemporary.com/Artists/PatrickMcGrathMuniz.html
La Luz de Jesus: http://laluzdejesus.com/shaun-berke-patrick-mcgrath-muniz/
Harold Golen: http://haroldgolengallery.com/artist.php?artist_id=273
La Antigua Galeria de Arte: http://artintheamericas.com/patrick-mcgrath-muniz.html