hi,

Spencer Patrick, also known as PARCHPAK, is an abstract painter based in Brooklyn, NY, who delves into the realms of expression through figures. His scenes often display a central figure that is in an artificial environment. The contrast between the painterly strokes found in the organic figures and the clean, modern environments create the narrative of how we are interacting and adapting to modernity. The cityscapes paired with the modern human shows our disconnection from the natural world, encapsulating the experience through name brands, central environments, and the latest iPhone models. Each piece shows a new angle that allows the viewer to ask, is there any way of going back?

The figures found in the paintings have various poses that range from confident to submissive. Most of the figures feel comfort wherever they may be found, showing a sense of vulnerability, even closing their eyes. The indoor settings each contain a power outlet, a display of energy, potential, and how we have learned to manipulate our spaces to create comfort of our own. The outdoor subjects proceed with caution, understanding they need protection from the outside elements, whether it be laying down a blanket in the grass, applying sunscreen, or proceeding barefoot with caution.

The figures can be found both in the nude and clothed. This choice is in honor of our attempt to get in touch with nature, even if we are on the 36th floor of a climate-controlled modern apartment allowing us to have potted plants from other parts of the world successfully grow in unison. We manipulate our environments for comfort, while chasing the benefits we have neglected from such comfort. The work conveys a sense of hope through these modern representations of the figure, even as their worlds become sterile, artificial, and disconnected.

listen to the quarterly playlist that inspires the work HERE