The Community Music School

The Creative Genius of Artist Keith Patterson

Keith Patterson with some of his work at the Cosmic Harvest Gallery.

Photo by Linda Roberts

By Linda Roberts

Walking into Kelli and Keith Patterson’s lush backyard on a hot summer day brings the visitor a sense of immediate delight and a quick escape from the summer heat. Flowers of all kinds are blooming along walkways and borders, thanks to Kelli, and a whimsical gnome greets you from Keith’s nearby gallery. A large canvas is stretched out in the sun in front of Keith’s garage-turned-studio and workshop. It is a charming and magical place to spend the afternoon.

Eyeing some darkening clouds and looking at the multi-colored artwork lying flat on the concrete outside his studio, I ask, “What if it rains on it?” “Well,” he said of the attractive abstract piece, “I was thinking of adding more layers to it, but I’ve decided to leave it as it is. And, as to your question, rain won’t hurt it at all, perhaps add even more texture.”

His Cosmic Harvest Gallery, located at the Patterson’s circa-1925 home north of Berryville, displays the artist’s large and boldly colored abstract designs of natural scenes done in acrylic paint.

This artist uses no easel to hold a work in progress, as the concrete floor in front of his studio will do just fine. His technique is simple. He bends over or kneels and goes to work. Patterson uses a brush to drip or splatter paint and often incorporates a roller to create the finished canvases that are generally as large as 36” x 47”. Once dried, the artwork is stretched on support frames and then pronounced ready to show a client, move to an exhibit, or hang in his gallery.

A self-taught artist whose creative mind has led him down numerous pathways including short story writer and musician with his own band, Patterson says his paintings are the result of a fascination with how light is made from the full spectrum of colors. A native of Danville who has lived all over the United States, Patterson began painting at 14 and developed his talent to also include award-winning cartoons, murals and corporate logos.

He has studied the work of master artists and the viewer may reflect upon the familiar with a sense of Van Gogh, Monet and Pollack when admiring Patterson’s art. “As a student of art, I’ve endeavored to soak up every secret of those (masters) who have come before me,” he says.

Patterson’s work has attracted the attention of collectors who appreciate his large canvases and bold colors. He estimates he’s sold some 400 pieces of art over the past nine years, with those numbers increasing since Kelli recently took on a marketing role for the Cosmic Harvest Gallery. Patterson’s work has been featured in exhibits at his own gallery, at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley and the Barns of Rose Hill, among other venues. He is particularly proud of a feature article in a home and design magazine that shows one of his pieces hanging in the home of a client in Loudoun County.

“For as long as I have been sentient, I’ve known that I am an artist,” says Patterson. “Sometimes I endeavor to capture beauty. Other creations tell a story or explore a new technique.”

For Patterson, artistic experience and education are the tools that allow him to open the portals through which his creativity can flow. Bidding the visitor an appreciative goodbye after a stroll through the Pattersons’ delightful garden and a visit to Kelli’s tidy horse barn, this self-taught fine arts painter, musician and writer laughs and notes that he has created art during every phase of his existence.

“I’m just a creative maniac,” he humbly adds.

Details: Keith Patterson 571-235-5786 or www.cosmicharvest.com