I am an artist who is largely self-taught. My main focus for the past 15 years has been as a fiber artist, but over time my style became more experimental and I have been stretching myself into painting in watercolors and acrylics, some of which is done on fabric. My favorite way of creating is abstractly, but I do semi-representational work as well.

I never pursued an art education after high school, I never dreamed I could or would become a professional artist. My thoughts were that you had to have an innate artistic ability to become an artist. I didn’t realize it was practice, determination, passion and basically “hard work” that were most important. Over the years, my work has been published in magazines, shone and won awards in fine art galleries, and won international recognition for entries in art quilt venues.

I work from my studio overlooking a small lake Shawano, Wisconsin. It’s very serene. This is the perfect setting for the work I love to create: “Nature is the biggest inspiration for me. I also draw ideas from architecture, old buildings, and farms. You can find all of these themes in my work.

I am very concerned with this place we call home, Earth. I use many recycled materials in my work and try to be a conscientious consumer. Often my work focuses on the beauty of the earth, based on my photographs. More and more, I am experimenting with abstraction.

Biography

Pat Bishop is a mixed media artist who works with fabric, thread, paint and a sewing machine. Her artwork is an expression of her view and appreciation of nature. She is predominantly self-taught with the help of lots of workshops and classes from watercolors to rosemaling and other art and textile classes.

As a midwestern descendant of farmers she appreciates nature and the outdoors, and is an inherent problem solver, with the need to use it up, fix it, make it work or repurpose it. The care of the earth is a predominant concern, by sharing her love of nature and use of recycled materials she hopes to inspire others to be concerned with taking care of this place we call home.

Her artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally and won numerous awards in fine art venues and has been juried into and won awards in prestigious fiber art exhibits. Pat lectures, exhibits, sells her work and enjoys teaching.