BIOGRAPHY
Patrick Whitehead was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire in 1957. He trained at Lincoln College of Art and Norwich School of Art where he learnt the skills of etching and lithography. He found that printmaking suited his style of work far more than painting and went on to explore and develop his etching skills. He has always been fascinated by the whole process of etching and the different techniques that can be employed to make marks, tones and textures. The majority of his work comprises of aquatints in order to create a wide range of tones and a contrast between light and dark.After graduating from Art School he lived and worked in London and was involved with a printmaking group at the Central Institute (formerly known as The Stanhope Institute). Later, he moved to Leeds and became involved with a group of printmakers and artists at the Swarthmore Institute.
Patrick set up his own print studio in 2006 based in West Sussex and is now free to print as and when he requires. He has recently relocated his studio to Poole in Dorset.
In terms of subject matter he's always been fascinated by distant places and cultures and up until recently focused mainly on landscapes, architectural studies, scenes and crowds of people. He is now turning his attention to different techniques and forms of printmaking. Currently, his main focus is mezzotint which enables him to produce rich velvety tones as well as a strong contrast between light and dark. His subject matter has shifted direction and he is now concentrating on stills lifes and the wide variety of flowers that grow in the garden that he designed and landscaped himself. He is interested in the shapes, textures, tones and decorative patterns that are found in nature.
He has completed 7 new mezzotints and is working on further mezzotints based on flowers. Also, he is working on a range of etchings based on still lifes and flowers which incorporate the use of a technique called chine colle. This technique uses thin coloured paper and tissue paper to apply colour to specific areas of the etching plate. These etchings will be ready in the Spring 2009.