Patrick Whitehead

BIOGRAPHY

Patrick was born in Bradford in 1957 where he spent his formative years. He trained at Lincoln College of Art and Norwich School of Art where he gained a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. He specialises in printmaking acquiring the skills of etching and lithography whilst he was a student at Norwich School of Art. In recent years he has extended his repertoire by developing other printmaking skills that include mezzotints, solar etching, collagraphy, woodcuts, lino-cuts and new forms of lithography. He practices all forms of safe intaglio and relief printing methods and no longer uses toxic chemicals in his printmaking.

He is fascinated by printmaking methods due to their versatility and the endless possibilities that can be achieved through the various techniques. Each method has its own peculiar attributes. He likes the fact that you are always unsure of how an image will turn out until the plate is inked up and printed. Printmaking is full of surprise and intrigue as one never knows what to expect!

The majority of his work is based on figurative and representational subject matter and the genres that interest him the most includes architecture, people, landscapes and every day scenes. He is interested in capturing the detail in a picture - the texture, shape, form, line and is interested in the effect of light - the contrast between light and dark and uses these elements to create drama and strong, bold images. 

His work has been greatly inspired by his travel experiences: recording what he sees and finds interesting and stimulating. In recent years he has travelled extensively in SE Asia, Japan, Italy, Scandinavia, Turkey, North Africa as well as the Indian Subcontinent and all these cultures and countries are well documented in his work. 

Having in lived in different parts of the UK, including London, during a lengthy teaching career he has now returned to his Yorkshire roots. He has recently opened his own art gallery/ printmaking studio which is based in Thornton a village on the edge of  Bradford and home to the Bronte sisters.  His work is now heavily influenced by the local industrial heritage of Bradford which was once known as the "woollen capital of the world". 

Patrick is a member of  The Printmakers Council and Yorkshire Art. He exhibits his work frequently both in group and solo shows and has work in personal collections around the world plus work held in the Print Department at the V & A in London and the National Print Department in Scarborough.