PATRICIA  ATCHISON

From a young age, drawing and painting have been incredible passions of mine.  At age eleven I saw Disney's The Little Mermaid and knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Encouraged by my family and friends, I eventually realized my dream.  Today, I paint, craft and make cartoons for a living and it is awesome.

 

My career in the animation industry has and continues to be a wonderful creative journey.  It took me to Montreal for my first job at Cinar Animation in 1998.  It then brought me back home to Vancouver in 2005.  Vancouver is a hub for animation in North America and the world.  I am so grateful to be able to live in my home town and have my industry be so vibrant and alive.

 

Upon returning to Vancouver, not only did I jump right in to the animation community, I began to take my passion for painting to a new level.  In Montreal I had begun to refine my skills as a realist painter and I wanted to continue. 

 

For many years now I have shared a studio space with another artist where I have shown my work multiple times in Vancouver's annual Eastside Culture Crawl.  Curated by Ayden Gallery, I had a solo show in 2007.  In 2010 I received gallery representation at South Granville's Kurbatoff Gallery.  I have shown work in the city's annual Queer Arts Festival as well as a short stint holding a seat on the festival's board of directors.

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However, painting has recently taken a back seat to another personal project.  For the past few years I've been working on a pitch for an animated feature film.  I've partnered up with longtime friend and colleague, writer and editor extraordinaire, Ellery Vandooyeweert and we are busy working toward making it a reality.  It's a new challenge and I am excited to continue the journey.

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