"There are many experiences in this life that have profound impact on us; shaping how we see, interpret and interact with our world. There is both good and bad in this world. But pulling inspiration from one's soul does not have to be about angst and pain. We have a choice. The true glory to this life is to see the beauty despite of the pain. What life can take away as it changes, I can give back through the imagery that comes from my hands and spirit." 
~ Artist Pat Bistline.
 

     Artist Pat Bistline works in oil because it is so malleable allowing her to move it, shape it, blend it to the form she wants... keeping it whisper soft in transparent glazes or bold and textured with heavy applications of the knife. Her art can be loose and fanciful or sharply real in her technique. She paints on canvas for a softer image or on wood or ceramic for a harder look. Oil paint is the perfect medium for her because it can be used in so many ways. It is flexible as one must be to successfully maneuver through life. And it is exciting, because it is never the same twice.   

  Bistline has studied painting both nationally and internationally; in Italy and Ireland. Her teacher in Italy commented that she was the most technically trained artist she had ever worked with. Bistline feels she was fortunate that most of the teachers she'd studied with gave her the very specific instructions in the necessary skills of paint mixing and brush handling. She has trained and practiced diligently and had her "moment in the sun" when a painting she did for the altar of Holy Family parish in Cahokia, Illinois was reproduced as a giclee and was presented to Pope John Paul II in 1998. Another painting she created of Mother Teresa was also received by Mother Theresa's order at the Vatican. 

     Captured by vivid color and the varied shapes of the natural and man-made world, Bistline is compelled to recreate the imagery in paint, to make it last. Her mind is constantly alert to the possibilities nature presents to her for composition. But her purpose is not just for her own pleasure or for her patrons but for those she helps to heal by teaching them to paint. She says, "The act of creating something with one's own hands is a powerful tool in repairing those whose lives have been challenged by disease, like cancer. After offering a painting class to a group of cancer survivors, I was told by one participant that "for three hours, nothing else mattered". I knew then that I had done so much more than just create a pretty image. "

Learn more about artist Pat Bistine on her website.

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