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PATTER HELLSTROM VISUAL ART has two arms; Studio and Curatorial. Both recognize the power of energy within our human experience. "Art is standing with one hand extended into the universe and one hand extended into the world and letting ourselves be a conduit for passing energy." —Albert Einstein
https://youtu.be/lM3dOiJSrtQ?si=HnCPuqkwCL1kNUsK
Interviewed by Ted Meyer ART and MED | USC KECK Medical School
Los Angeles based artist Patter Hellstrom discusses her monumental installation Cellular Healing during her exhibit at Keck School of Medicine of USC with Ted Meyer, the Keck Artist in Residence. This 22 feet x 5 foot installation is on view in the lobby of the Hoffman Medical Research building. Cellular Healing is comprised of 84 individual panels which create a prominent progression of cellular based images depicting healing over time and circumstances, through engaging art as a healing modality.
CELLULAR HEALING @ USC KECK Medical School | Hoffman Research
Cellular Healing invites viewers to find agency in their own healing through creative expression. This installation was central to Hellstrom’s recovery from complicated grief following her partner’s untimely death from cancer in 2023. Though the illness was not in her body, its impact was profound. Research into cellular structure, behavior, growth, and death shaped the work. The process began with drawings created outside the studio, drawing on the healing power of creative expression at home, in waiting rooms, and in the hospital. The final installation evolves from monochrome, contained forms to dynamic, interconnected color. Completed in seventy days, it comprises eighty-four panels mapping healing across mind, spirit, and body. Supported by diverse healing modalities, the project embodies resilience, transformation, and renewal.
Patter Hellstrom is a Los Angeles–based artist exhibiting nationally and internationally, with work in public and private collections. She has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation. Her abstract paintings draw on calligraphic traditions, exploring impermanence, balance, and interconnectedness through fluid color and structure. Committed to living expansively, Hellstrom views art as an energetic current linking knowledge, intuition, and meaning.
Interviewed by Ted Meyer ART and MED | USC KECK Medical SchoolCELLULAR HEALING @ USC KECK Medical School | Hoffman Research 
Twin Traumas 30x30" mixed media on wooden panel 2025
In my work, the energy of lived experience is distilled into brushstrokes, alive with color and charged with the spark of connection and human interaction. I translate these energetic encounters into visual compositions, where juxtaposition and fluid movement create a dynamic, living field of exchange.
Inspired by Kintsugi, the Japanese art of golden repair. In a world that is constantly shifting and testing its edges, I look to this practice as a way of embracing fracture with resilience. Each breaking point becomes a radiant seam, transformed into a pathway of strength and beauty.
Curator Sue-Na Gay of the Torrance Art Museum selected "Twin Traumas" for their 2026 NOMAD project August 7-9th, 2026 | Torrance Art Museum in Los Angeles metro area.
Chrysalis of Venus 36" x 36" mixed media on canvas 2026Ecliptic Chrysalis
I create immersive abstract paintings that explore transformation through the intertwined metaphors of the ecliptic and the chrysalis. Each work begins with a shared color structure inspired by the ecliptic—the common orbital plane connecting the planets—and is then adjusted according to NASA/JPL observations of planetary color. This process allows each painting to develop a distinct identity while remaining part of a larger system.
The chrysalis represents rupture, uncertainty, adaptation, and renewal. Through gesture, color, and layered form, I explore how transformation can hold fragmentation and cohesion at the same time. This work is important because it offers a space to experience change without demanding immediate resolution, inviting viewers to see transformation as an ongoing, embodied process of connection and becoming.
Rings of Time and Mercurial Exchange 36" x 36" mixed media on canvas 2026
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Black&Blue with Flash Bangs
Black & Blue with Flash Bangs emerges from the siege-like atmosphere that overtook Downtown Los Angeles in Summer 2025, when nearly 5,000 armed federal guards occupied the neighborhood where the artist lives and works.
Transforming collective grief into intimate ritual, the series weaves golden threads through memory, loss, and renewal. The title evokes both police brutality and the violent force of flash bang grenades—devices designed to disorient through blinding light and deafening sound. From this shared trauma, the work reconstructs a fragile yet resilient body of images that mark emotional and spiritual thresholds, translating pain, absence, and uncertainty into symbolic forms of contemplation, remembrance, and transformation.
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VESPA LOS ANGELES
"The Love Letter" is a custom-painted Vespa created in collaboration with Vespa Los Angeles. It was first exhibited for Modernism Palm Springs in October 2024 and remained on view through February 2025 at James Bacchi Contemporary in Palm Springs. This vibrant, moving artwork attracted significant attention and complemented Hellstrom’s large-scale painting, creating a visually cohesive and engaging experience. The color palette and contemporary abstract brushwork of the scooter reflect Vespa’s branding, which effectively connects its nostalgic heritage with the dynamic spirit of modern Los Angeles. Collaborations, spearheaded by Kenny Faliero, owner of Vespa Los Angeles, have involved various creative partnerships with visual artists, fashion designers, and figures from the film and television industry, showcasing the intersection of art, design, and culture. This project not only highlights Hellstrom’s artistic vision but also embodies the vibrant and evolving identity of the Vespa brand in a contemporary context.
Also on view at Vespa Los Angeles is the painting SoCal, a 20x20"mixed media work on cradled panel and finished in resin.
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48 PILLARS | ARC GALLERY SAN FRANCISCO 2025
SERENDIPITY 2025 diptych 48" x 12" each panel
In her latest work, SERENDIPITY a diptych 48" x 12", Hellstrom continues to explore themes of chance and the unexpected moments of beauty in life.
This diptych is particularly intriguing, as it visually captures the aftermath of an energetic explosion, an interpretation that likely stirs curiosity and invites contemplation on the everyday wonders that surround us. Through her confident brushwork and color, Patter Hellstrom not only pays homage to traditional calligraphic forms but also expands upon them, creating a dynamic visual language that speaks to the viewer on multiple levels.
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Downtown Light 4 panels at 12" x 48" - four wooden cradled panels with acrylic paint and ink, finished with acrylic resin Placed with a Northern California collection by James Bacchi Contemporary | Palm Springs + San Francisco
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James Bacchi Contemporary | PALM SPRINGS + SAN FRANCISCO
GONE MOD Oct - Feb 2025 just in time for Modernism, Patter Hellstrom's Custom Scooter, The Love Letter, in collaboration with Vespa Los Angeles on view
Lion's Gate 60"x 30" acrylic ink on polypropylene mounted with a wooden substrate
2021 WINTER LIGHT two paintings 72" x 36" - A COVID Commission
2020 BLACK FLAG
Displaying a U.S. flag upside down is a signal of dire distress, signaling mourning, danger, and penalty. Our stars and stripes have been in dire straights with the U.S. Captial breached by domestic terrorists. The pandemic ravaging all fifty states. Systemic racism drove thousands to take to the streets in protest.
These paintings represent the four directions - Eastern Light (left top) Northern Divide (right top) Southern Whitewash (left lower) and Westward Ho (right lower)
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2020 THE SPACE BETWEEN US Hellstrom investigates the six-foot space indicated in social distance. Looking though that lens and exploring the ways we are separated. Her investigation includes drawings of the COVID-19 cells, energetic gestural paintings, and awkward disconnected elements. The new clunky and awkward disconnections are broken brush strokes. The paint density is concurrent with overlapping pandemic, systemic racism, democracy endangered, and economic distress. Change, transition, and transformation are consistent themes in her work, marking this moment in time.
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LARGE SCALE PROJECTS
Ascending Heart A super graphic over 36 feet long at Guided Choice in San Diego.
About energy, the piece graces a new tech/financial company mixing brush strokes and digital media to create visual excitement in the workplace.
Source Art | Los Angeles managed and directed the project.
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ART + ACTIVISM
Spatial stillness within the paintings reveal voids and examine the interconnectedness between energy and silence. Aegean inspired blue waves combined with the Greek mati protection symbol figure prominently. Imperfect Protection combines art and political practice. Hellstrom calls to action elected US officials, inscribing their names among the waves of distress diminishing America. The artists' daily call lists are inscribed, documenting one citizens' voice spoken with urgency in our current climate.
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Undertow installed in private collection
SF Condo Building Signature piece | Dreams Together 48" x 48"
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DESIGN | ELLE FRANCE + SMW Design
Hungry Ghost Dreams in Hamptons Home Show | Traditional Home magazine
Installed in BLU SF
ABOUT GALLERY COMMISSIONS | Patter Hellstrom has completed many gallery commissions. "Commissioned by ArtHaus gallery to create a 36”x120” painting from her “Flow” series for a new San Francisco home for Beijing based collectors. For Hellstrom, the challenge she welcomed was the size of this commission. Her ability to listen, communicate and understand to exactly what these collectors wanted and her execution of six comp paintings were outstanding. These collectors wanted their painting to exude passion. The final painting was everything and more they’d hoped for. As an art dealer, trusting an artist throughout the commission process is vital. Patter Hellstrom’s attention to detail, deadlines and artistry made this process satisfying and enjoyable." AnnetteSchutz, Co-‐Founder ArtHaus gallery
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Innovations in Neurodevelopmental Sensory Processing Research laboratory at USC KECK 2019
ART + EDUCATION
“We chose the theme, and the theme really provided a great springboard for imaginative drawing and thinking and color-combinations, along with interactive pieces,” Hellstrom said. The scope of the project expanded as the students learned more about the needs of the mural’s target audience: future research participants including children with ASD and their families. “Our students understood the specific challenges of the children coming to the lab, and thought deeply about senses and how we experience our senses,” Hellstrom said. “This collaboration also helped them become part of a team, and to feel a sense of connectedness to something larger than themselves.”
USC STEAM PROJECT
May 2025 Santa Mnica2025 STEM to STEAM
Santa Monica Third Street Promenade - Making Math and Science concepts visible through next gen Art education. Over 100 works by upper school students from Wildwood School both static and interactive drew over 300 curious visitors on the community day. Student artists / docents also host over 150 middle school students, sharing their innovative vision.
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Grief Path Installation + Film 
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PATTER HELLSTROM CURATORIAL
Vedder Price Dynamic Galleries spotlight the creative voices of Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, and Chicago. This rotating program showcases a broad spectrum of local artistic perspectives, bringing fresh, regionally rooted work into the heart of the firm for over a decade by Patter Hellstrom Visual Art / Curatorial.
“I first worked with Patter Hellstrom Visual Art when Vedder Price, an international general-practice law firm, selected Patter’s work for the second quarterly art installation in our San Francisco office. Patter and Paul also worked closely with us to plan our first client/artist reception, which featured Patter’s works. When we opened our Los Angeles office, we engaged Patter Hellstrom Visual Art to curate its quarterly art installations. Patter and Paul have been outstanding art partners offering a variety of works from local artists, attending to every detail, and providing beautiful collateral material to accompany each installation. I highly recommend them.” Michele Reilly, SF Office Manager Vedder Price
“Patter Hellstrom does an amazing job curating the art rotations at my firm. She consistently brings in exceptional pieces from talented local artists, creating an inspiring and beautiful environment for our conference rooms and reception area. Her ability to find and showcase unique work makes each rotation feel truly special. Patter has a great eye and a real passion for visual arts. I highly recommend working with her!”
Jane M. West, CLM, SPHR, SHRM-SCP Office Manager Vedder Price, Dallas and Miami Offices
Los Angeles
Chicago International Headquarters
Miami
Dallas
Curating for Vedder Price since 2014
Work placed in private and corporate settings
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Next Chapter paintings and book (22)
This body of work uses the structure of a book as a metaphor for sequencing and storytelling, each chapter marking a new phase in life. As our lives unfold, we navigate change through a confluence of experience, language, and collaboration. For me, the act of sequencing, placing one experience after another, creates a visual and emotional map of how we move forward, especially after loss. Emerging from complicated grief, I’ve been exploring how we begin again. What does the first step look like after the ground has shifted? This work is a reflection on that process, of observing, learning, and rediscovering the self through new languages, cultures, and relationships. Every person who enters our lives stays for a season or a reason, and their presence shapes the narrative in subtle and profound ways. The text woven into this piece comes from fragments, poetry, conversations, and passing comments - capturing the ephemeral language of transformation. As each moment builds on the last, a story begins to take form. As Rumi wrote, “As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” This work seeks to honor that unfolding path. In the final five pages of the book, I invited collaborators, new friends, poets, artists, and designers, to respond to the structure I created. Their contributions reflect their own “next chapters,” shaped by wildfire devastation, lost love, bereavement, and the courage to move into new spaces. Through this collaboration, the work becomes a shared story, a collective memoir of what it means to keep going. -
2024 Cellular Healing (15)
"Cellular Healing" is a large-scale art installation created by Patter Hellstrom as part of her recovery process from complicated grief following her partner's death from cancer. The work, spanning 7x12 feet, explores cellular structures and healing at a molecular level, reflecting Hellstrom's personal journey of resilience and recovery. Created over 70 days in early 2024, the installation consists of 84 painted panels that track the artist's return to health, incorporating various healing modalities and personal growth experiences. -
2021-2022 Los Angeles Light (26)
Inspired by the Los Angeles sky, Hellstrom investigates the bold color and golden hues revealed in it's constant state of change. The COVID closure has transforned the air quality, seeing the clearest enviroment in a decade. When we connect with our environment and each other - we survive. Ray Bradbury famously said, “Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall.” Falling through the DTLA sky supported by color and light, we begin to find our way to soar. -
2020 Pandemic | The Space Between US (31)
Hellstrom investigates the six-foot space indicated in social distance. Looking though that lens and exploring the ways we are separated. Her investigation includes drawings of the COVID-19 cells, energetic gestural paintings, and awkward disconnected elements. All these speak to the space between us. The new clunky and awkward disconnections are broken brush strokes. The paint density is concurrent with overlapping pandemic, systemic racism, and economic distress. Change, transition, and transformation are consistent themes in her work, marking this moment in time.Several of these painting are avaiable as printed COVID safe face masks. -
2018 - 2019 LA Fetish Finish Explored (19)
2019 paintings are resin finished mixed media on cradled wood board. They offer a fresh iteration of Hellstrom's work. These works coming out of her DTLA Arts district studio have a dialogue with the Los Angeles "Fetish Finish" movement, with their slick surfaces and materials exploration. SoCal has a history of it's interest in cars and surf boards polished to a high shine surface. Resin calls to that surface quality that speaks to a sense of place. -
2016 Mariposa | Cocoon to Butterfly (21)
Mariposa expands the artists'media to mixed media on resin finished cradled wood panels. This group of paintings addresses change, transformation and the flow of energy that supports stepping into uncertainty. In her San Francisco studio near Mariposa Street, Hellstrom explored the confluence of a sense of place and artistic concept. There at the intersection of Potrero Hill, Mission Bay and DogPatch - she created this body of work. -
2016 - 2018 Art + Activism | Imperfect Protection (10)
Viewing the sky as a canvas of emotion and energy, Hellstrom creates a reflection of our moment in time. Spatial stillness in the voids examine the interconnected quality between energy and action. Imperfect Protection combines art and political practice. This work calls to action elected US officials, inscribing their names among the waves of distress which are diminishing America. The artists' daily call lists are inscribed, documenting one citizens' voice spoken with urgency in our current climate. The alchemy of how experience is lived out dwells in the constancy of change despite our desire for permanence. -
2015 Innovation in Design (21)
Acrylic ink on polypropylene is an innovative technique discovered and unveiled by the artist in 2007 at Masterworks Institute in SF. These gestural contemporary pieces have been shown widely and collected by museums and private collectors in the United States. ELLE FRANCE highlighted Hellstrom's tartan textile inspired paintings as they relate to historic British tartans. SF designer Scot Meacham Wood has showcased these pieces with his contemporary tartan designs.Designers at Lemar Urban exhibited her work as part of a BLU, a contemporary penthouse design. -
Engaging Technology (27)
Our experience of the world though digital devices became the focus of her 2015 solo exhibition, recognizing the ever-present smart phones' role in mediating and collecting experiences. "Quick Response" debuted interactive work at ArtHaus Gallery in SF. Blending painting and interactive technology the vision was achieved. Viewers found a new way to connect through a layers of experience. First visceral, seeing saturated color and gestural movement then through a digital portal. A click of a smart phone app and the viewer moved deeper into each work. QR Codes included Patter's iPhone captures thus distilling her experience through the device, bringing the experience full circle. -
Shaped pieces and intimate scaled work (33)
In 2011 shaped installations and collages on the polypropylene film marked the start of a new exploration of Hellstrom's medium. Exploring the properties of polypropylene and acrylic ink, these works delve into the dark beauty of disruptions encountered in daily life. Focus turns to the shaped pieces which encapsulate the flow of emotion, releasing the gesture from its' format. These works continue and are concurrent with panel paintings. -
Grand Scale (44)
Inspired by study of calligraphy in China, experiences of nature on the west coast of the USA and the intense color seen in India, Hellstrom creates abstract work which distills experience. The paintings created on polypropylene material with acrylic water-resistant artists ink are a new media, intensely colored. Polypropylene material is a synthetic type of film or paper with extraordinary durability. Flawlessly smooth, it professionally back-mounted to a plexi substrate. The wooden frame adhered to the plexi has a cleated hanging system. This installation method allows the painting to "float" from the wall enhancing the gestural quality of the work, showing it to it's best advantage. Panel paintings back-mounted on acrylic sheets showcase large-scale work by Patter Hellstrom. Works are available through galleries and art dealers in Chicago, San Francisco,and Los Angeles. -
Contemporary Practice (9)
Creating installations with fresh flowers since 2003, those large-scale projects have been commissioned by Unilever and JPMorgan Chase for their Campus and Project Space, respectivly. Mindfully created Flower Mandalas with concentric circles of 500+ individually placed fresh flowers, these works are dedicated to recognizing beauty, transformation,and compassion. Installations created with natural materials such as flowers, tumbled glass and rock, connect interior thoughts on interdependence and impermanence to the larger natural world. -
Commissions + Super Graphics (12)
BD BIO TECH /Inspired by the brilliant pigments of multicolor flow cytometry, Patter Hellstrom created this large-scale piece for BD Biosciences to commemorate the creation of the first set of Product Development Modules on campus. This new spatial ecosystem is designed to improve collaboration and teamwork to promote scientific innovation, stimulate technological breakthroughs, and accelerate product development from idea to launch. GRACE on view caps the innovation space in relationship to the expansive super graphic.