ALISSA SALEM
Special to The Leader
A common idea shared among many is that art and science are vastly different subjects — that these two disciplines are inherently separate. Last Thursday night in McEwen Hall, however, an artist gave a lecture which discussed work that bridged the gap between these areas of study.
Patterson Clark’s entire background is diverse. Clark received a B.A. in biology, followed by an M.F.A. from the California Institute of the Arts in conceptual art. From there, he found his way into journalism and is currently a science graphics editor for the Washington Post.
Clark is a very casual and down-to-earth speaker. Initially pausing often to think of the right words, he promptly relaxed into his engaging lecture. Quickly it became clear that this artist’s passion for nature was not only an extension of his pursuit of biology, but something that carried with it a strong artistic philosophy.
He is very influenced by the local flora that surrounds his home and community in Washington, D.C. His work mainly revolves around plant life: this involves either converting it into his own paper, which he uses as the base for original art, or woodblock printmaking. In making art this way, Clark is fully utilizing invasive species to the best of his ability.
Clark felt that while attempting to rid local plant life of these invasive species, his relationship with these weeds became too aggressive. Instead of simply killing the invasive species, Clark harvests the invasive plants that hinder the native species, and with them goes through labor-intensive processes to create art.
His paper made from mulberry trees is an example of this demanding process. After cutting these trees, they are stripped and soaked overnight in rain barrels, and subsequently put on an outdoor wood stove fueled by mulberry. After it is brought to a boil the mulberry is wrapped in a wool blanket and left overnight again. The next morning, it’s ready to be made into paper — after it’s beaten by hand with bats, pulled to make sheets, transferred to felt and put under a press to squeeze out any remaining water. After another day of drying, the mulberry paper is complete.
By creating art solely from a lifeform that once hindered the environment, Clark not only rescues the native plant species, but simultaneously draws attention to this cause. He honors the invasive species and cultivates the full wealth of this material. This resistance to wastefulness creates a positive ecological impact.
These processes make use of biology, such as his method of creating ink. This technique involves cooking plant tissues in alkaline solutions and monitoring pH balances. Science plays a large role in his work, going hand in hand with his art. Clark’s background in biology formed his restoration philosophy and fueled the meaning of his pieces. In this way, he combines the roles of scientist, artist and environmentalist.
“I’m not really interested in science,” said Katie Graczyk, a freshman visual artist with a focus in animation. She went on to add, however, “the fact that he actually made his art with tools he made out of the stuff he’s making his art with, that’s neat.”
While one can gather that the process of making your own materials isn’t necessarily practical, Clark showed that the process made his work more intimate and kept him grounded against a digital environment; he could connect with his surroundings.
Despite his greatly traditional approach to his work, Clark also uses digital tools for his drawings. He uses tools such as Wacom Tablets and Adobe Photoshop.
“I was surprised that he actually used some digital media,” said first year animation student Joclyn Yannotti. She later said, “I thought it was very interesting that he [is] a graphic designer; you could see it in his work.”
“I thought it was interesting that he incorporated biology into his work, because a lot of artists are really just [into] art and that just makes it really bland and repetitive,” said freshman graphic design major Toni Tolliver.
Whether or not one personally believes in a scientific approach to art is subjective.
Clark said he “tries to solve [his] problems as an artist” and that you should “approach problems in your own way.”