Breaking the Matrix: How Pat picked up a brush

Mountain Family - Pat Matthews

You can still see traces of Pat Matthews' work as an architect in his oil paintings. He has a keen eye for perspective, and his canvases are so carefully plotted that collectors have dubbed them “windows into the forest.” Even so, in his years as an architect Pat could never quite imagine becoming a professional artist. Making the switch would prove to be a true leap of faith.

Pat grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and showed artistic talent at a young age. His high school class at Little Rock Central High School voted him “Most Artistic”, but he decided to study architecture in college for fear of becoming a starving artist.  Pat graduated from the University of Arizona in 1987 with the prestigious William Wilde Memorial Award as the top designer of his class. 

“I have so much respect for Architects,” he says. “In our class at The University of Arizona there were over 200 of us to start the program.  Less than 50 of us made it through the five year program on time.” 

After completing an apprenticeship, Pat got his architectural license and started a practice as a design architect in Little Rock. Business was great but he couldn't completely forget his dream of being an artist. One day he was driving along and a large canvas caught his eye in a gallery window.

“I went in and asked who did the painting,” he says. “They told me it was Barry Thomas, and I said, 'You mean the guy I went to school with?'” Pat reconnected with Barry and they struck a deal: the architect would design a house for the artist in exchange for painting lessons. It was the seed of Pat's second career and the beginning of a close friendship.

Complements - Pat Matthews

Not long after, Pat and Barry traveled across Europe to paint in some of the same places that Monet, Van Gogh and other revered artists wielded their brushes. Pat was falling in love with painting, but back at home he still had a bustling architectural practice to manage.

“I started painting at night and doing architecture in the day, and I did that for years,” he says. There was always a new building project to work on, and Pat couldn't see a way to make the transition from the drafting table to the easel. He finally enlisted a life coach to help him hash it out.

“You know that movie The Matrix?” Pat says, referring to the Wachowski brothers film in which a man discovers that his world is actually a simulated reality.  “The life coach said, 'You've created your own 'Matrix', and you can change it just as fast.'”

That day, Pat called his biggest client and quit. “It was such an easy thing that I called every one of them and quit every job that night,” he says. “I figured if I fail I can always do architecture again.” The “Matrix” was broken, and Pat was free. 

Pat did 48 paintings for his first exhibition and all of them sold the night of the opening. It was a harbinger of his stellar career. He  then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and established himself as a nationally recognized artist.

In The Blink Of An Eye - Pat Matthews

The artist has been painting full-time in the 12 years since, and now shows his works in galleries through the United States. He's sold just about everything he's created. “I'm so glad I decided to follow my passion,” he says. “I truly love what I do.”

Despite all of his successes, Pat stresses that he's still an artist in progress.  “I learn something new every day,” he says. The artist is always exploring different styles and subject matter, from his well-known neo-impressionist landscapes to abstract compositions featuring dazzling ribbons of color.

Pat's creations are in perpetual metamorphosis, but his careful regard for every detail ties it all together.

A leap of faith and a lot of hard work paid off.

Follow this blog to learn more of Pat's story, and like his Facebook page for daily updates on his latest work.