Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Owens.
Hi Patrick, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My art career began out of complete happenstance; once out of college I waited tables and bartended into my late 20s. The bar where I worked had a large chalkboard and a server (who was also an art teacher) would write the beer and wine list, usually incorporating the brands logo/fonts. Once she stopped working at the bar and I tired of the beer list being outdated/incorrect, I started recreating the logos myself. As a kid I had always been fascinated with typography and in particular band logos; my high school text books were always covered in various metal band names I had drawn on. From there I also worked on the sandwich board a-frames that would advertise various happy hours, etc outside the restaurant. I wasn’t paid at first but the bar owner gave me pretty much free reign to get as weird as I’d like, which led to other bars (often run by friends in the industry) would hire me to chalk their A-frames. That expanded into sidewalk installations for special events and wall murals, and I would slowly evolve into other mediums like chalk paint pens and eventually into acrylic and oil paints. At the time there weren’t many artists working with chalk, so I was very fortunate t0 be approached about all sorts of commissions, which forced me to expand my skills (since I had no clue what I was doing most of the time). Once enough steady work came in I stopped bartending and pivoted to arting full time. Nowadays I specialize in large scale murals and sign painting, but I still get plenty of odd requests and try to never turn anything down since that’s served me well so far!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been a wild ride down a very rocky road. I would say my biggest struggles have been time management and design; I’ve never had a particular style, and consider myself more of a chameleon able to work within many options which is great in some respects but sometimes hard to narrow down what the client wants and since I dont have a design background it took awhile to learn the basics. I also struggle with always wanting to put forth the best possible product, even if the budget doesnt allow for it and finding balance between making the client happy without overworking myself has been quite the learning experience to say the least.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
For the most part I specialize in large scale murals and sign painting. The themes vary wildly, but of course my favorite kind are when I’m allowed to run wild and get nice and weird.
I am most proud of the happiness of my clients and the relationships I forge. I work very hard to give them exactly what they want and to put forth the best possible product. Nothing makes me happier than when a client commissions me for another project, and it’s very special to see these businesses evolve over the years and to be a part of it in some small way.
How do you think about happiness?
Bringing the client and my vision to life from the very start to the very finish is a wonderful, meaningful process. It of course has its up and downs and plenty of struggles but painting the final stroke is always infinitely satisfying.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @who.arted.murals
