Interview with Donald L Patten

Meet NUNUM's Contributor: Donald L Patten

2/1/2024

NUNUM

Blending Flash Fiction & Art

Interview with Donald L Patten

What was the first book you remember picking and reading yourself?

I remember reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle because I was drawn to its colorful illustrations.

What was the last book you read that made you say damn, that was a good book?

I have just finished Goya and the Spirit of Enlightenment by Alfonso E. Perez Sanchez and Eleanor A. Sayre. I was interested to read it to understand Goya's artistic development throughout his life.

Which artists have influenced your current artistic direction?

Francisco Goya, Egon Schiele, Odilon Redon, Philip Guston, Zach Hadel & Tim Conte.

Is there an artist in your local community that you would recommend people check out?

Tim Conte is a Drawing Adjunctssor of Art at the University of Maine Orono, Assistant Prof, and he's the life drawing monitor at Waterfall Arts in Belfast, Maine. I never had him as a drawing instructor at UMaine, but seeing him draw at waterfall arts inspires how I make figure drawings. www.timconte.com

What advice would you give someone just starting to send their work to journals?

Be prepared to have your work rejected. My works have been rejected many times, so I move on and submit works to other publications. Someone will eventually publish your works.

Artist's Statement

I was born and raised in the Mid-Coast region of Maine, and since I can remember, lighthouses, blueberries, and bright red lobsters have been the subjects of many stereotypical “Maine artworks''. There is a problematic belief that Maine artists must only use stereotypical Maine subjects to have any semblance of commercial success. Every artwork I produce is in defiance of that belief. I make oil paintings and ceramic artworks, whose subjects are not associated with Maine stereotypes. I strive to make either joyful or horrific art as I feel is necessary, and I continue making such artworks to hopefully inspire others to openly make the art they want to make.

More about the Donald's pieces that appeared in NUNUM

The subject of these oil paintings is illustrative depictions of mushrooms with small, cute, smiling faces. These are part of my series of smiling mushroom paintings that I have been making for the past 2 years. There are currently 80 oil paintings in the series, and I am in the process of making 70 more. I feel so much joy making them and seeing how they make others feel joy and smile. They are inspired by the mushrooms I see on nature walks around Mid-Coast Maine. So I use the unique and beautiful shapes that mushrooms create to make the paintings in the series. I explore my identity by making art that expresses my joy.

Donald L Patten

Donald Patten is an artist and cartoonist from Belfast, Maine. He is currently a senior in the studio art program at the University of Maine at Augusta. He produces oil paintings, illustrations, ceramic pieces, and graphic novels. His art has been exhibited in galleries across Maine.