Patrick Hennessy

Patrick Hennessy, a Chicago-land painter and illustrator, has been making art since he discovered the margins of notebook paper.

Nature and automatism, the practice of allowing subconscious thought to dictate the painted or drawn mark, practiced by the Surrealists play large roles in the development of one his paintings. They begin as a chaotic and unregimented sketch. As the more and more material is added or removed whether it is shellac, acrylic, oil, gouache, charcoal, spray paint, etc, more conscious decisions are made to push and pull the spatial relationships of positive and negative space. Once a single mark is made the next is simply a reaction to the first and so on. Through these layers a visual history is recorded, leaving something similar to geographic rock layers found in canyons.

Much of his work can be seen as a play between both macro and micro worlds, blurring the perception of the two. Implied or actual texture and humor are major themes throughout his work.  Inspired by microscopic imagery and large aerial photography, his larger panel pieces take on a confusing landscape of sorts which can be found anywhere as small as the inside of a pore on your arm or as large as the surface of some unknown planet.

He recently received his BFA from Northern Illinois University, with an emphasis in drawing.