Patrick Conlon was born on February 13, 1971. He deemed high school uneventful, other than surf trips and punk rock shows in New York City. Patrick migrated to the warmth of California to attend USC for his BFA. During this time he started an industry surf 'zine that chronicled lifestyles, music and trends in beach culture - a culture that had a profound effect on what would become the basis of his art, the art making process and his understanding of the power of a sticker. In fact, surf culture would have a stronger impact on him than art history. He started toying with the idea of "stickering" found objects to make them seem new, or his own, all the while trying to avoid art history yet seemingly leading to Duchamp or Rauschenberg.
It wasn't until he moved back to New York City in the late 90s and began to explore materials, that his ideas of packaged slick and iconographic messaging began to evolve. His process is more from an advertising standpoint, in which he prints his pieces onto vinyl, much like the ad signage you'd see ratchet strapped to the side of a building. In a sense, he creates personal indoor advertising.
"I want my paintings to encompass the lifestyle of a surfer or musician, in the way that it's adaptable, fun, creative and it's, overall, searching for the next newest and coolest thing."
Pat slickie Conlon has a genuine knack for selecting direct and powerful icons in his graphic illustrations. These icons illustrate both the richness and horror of suburban life. Their simplicity speaks straight from his experience as a person and is not caught up in some sort of theory bullshit. Themes range from consumer icons to human sexuality and nature but always keep a strong keel in the genuine experience. Pat is a master surfer. His experience risking his life on the water makes it easy for him to make strong confident decisions in his art making. This is essential... no pussyfooting here. His mastery is not limited to surfing; the motherfucker can draw! So pay attention because none of those drips are accidental. - Tom Sachs
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