What is it that we love about this artist’s work?Our list ends up being lengthy because there is so much to admire about Patrica Canney. For starters, her spontaneous scenes breathe the very essence of everyday life.A couple mulling over a menu in front of a restaurant; a solitary woman sipping coffee at an outdoor café; a saucily-clad mannequin displayed in a shop window – these are all everyday vignettes that might go unnoticed until Canney works her magic.She says, “Someone once commented to me that I paint the unguarded moment, the space between events and the thing that is left in the air after the gypsies dance.I’ve always wanted to achieve that kind of drama -- or, is it non-drama?” Canney’s work resonates with an unmistakable juiciness. In fact, when we first met Patricia, we were struck by her use of that particular word.It happens to be a word that we use frequently here at the gallery to describe paintings and we were delighted to come across an artist who could so effortlessly bring the word to life. Canney is drawn to subjects that are loose and alive with color.She finds her inspiration in coffee shops and restaurants where people may be working or simply lost in thought.“Store fronts and back alleys, beaches and backyards, the main street or the empty room – I love that certain kind of light,” Canney says. Canney was born and raised in the Midwest.After serving in the Peace Corps in the seventies, she found herself in a career of graphic design and advertising.She began painting seriously when a gallery owner inquired about one of her watercolors.Her artistic journey has led her around the world and through watercolor, acrylic and now oils.She has studied extensively with renowned American artists such as Kim English and Peggy Kroll-Roberts.
