Untitled (White Botehs for Amy Butler), 2009

Cut plywood, enamel paint
Dimensions variable

My current work is a bridge, a fractal, a study. When I think of the universe I think of something so large and consuming that it is hard to describe it in words. The thought of infinity is such an abstract idea that no Abstract Expressionist painting could even come close to its formless nature. With the last fifty years of art, specifically painting, and a small understanding of Theoretical Astro-Physics in mind, I try to define ‘Space’ with shape and color; for example, the fabric of space-time, quite literally as a quilt or the representation of a galaxy as pile of flowers or an arrangement of shapes. Influences come from diverse sources such as contemporary design, psychedelic fabric patterns, the New Yankee Workshop, the Shakers, music and seed catalogs. The shapes and colors are a result of these things, and from my natural tendency to pile or organize things come the compositions. Slowly moving away from the right angle although mindful not to abandon my respect for craftsmanship, my current work feels like some of the most honestly modest representations of the universe I can offer.
Patrick O’Rourke


Patrick received his BFA from MECA in 2004. He has exhibited his work around Maine, at Whitney Art Works and UNE, among others.