PATTER HELLSTROM

Patter Hellstrom completed a year long artist-in-residence project (2008 - 2009)with 80 students in KIPP Summit Academy (East Bay) entitled "Layering Identity". The courtyard installation draws it's palette from the skin and eye color of the community. Culture is represented with sections of fabric, stylized and painted. Finally each student created a symbol of the gift they have brought to the community.

A memorial installation project was completed in late May of 2009 to honor James Kessler. On May 9th James Kessler died, ending his journey with cancer. He was brave, creative and loving beyond measure. The Advanced Art students worked with artist Patter Hellstrom to create this memorial.

This work on paper project was a reflection on domestic life. The paintings were created with watercolor/ink using kitchen dollies as stencils. Patter Hellstrom created this while in transition from the East Coast to finding her new home on the West Coast in San Francisco.

FLOWER MANDALA was made of 1700 tubes filled with fresh flowers and arranged in a concentric circular design on a 10ft diameter base. Hellstrom's unique installation was commissioned by JP Morgan Chase Art Program for it's Project Space in Newport for the 2003 Jersey City Artist Studio Tour. It refers in form to Tibetan Mandalas - Sand Mandalas in particular. Flower Mandala was created as an act of compassion on the Jersey City waterfront in the wake of 9/11. The Flower Mandala encouraged viewers to share a peaceful moment realizing the temporal joy which is at the core of meditation practice.

From !996 - 2002 this was an extensive project which explored the contributions of our founding mothers. Patter Hellstrom visited New York, New Jersey, Washington DC and Philadelphia creating rubbings on paper of those historic sites that honor heroic American women for their leadership and courage. The graphite rubbings were then incorporated into works on canvas and over painted with acrylic paint. The Geraldine Dodge foundation and St. Peter’s Preparatory School supported it. At the left ~ Solo installation in Federal Hall ~ Wall Street NYC

This very personal body of work was created in response to the 9/11 WTC attacks. The work was made following that event as a way to begin to process the horror witnessed on that day. Lost Souls, a seminal piece was made up of 5000 circles – each representing a life lost based on the original expected death toll. The paintings are made with multi media such as – watercolor, ink, quink, graphite and colored pencil. The imagery is drawn from a target and an opened heart form. At the time of the attacks the Target Heart series was underway. That work mixes western and eastern materials, symbolism and techniques.

The City Mandala project was one where graphite rubbings of manhole covers were made on the New York City streets. The different designs speak to the diversity of Manhattan neighborhoods. The works were altered in the studio with watercolor, ink and additional graphite. These works were made after Patter Hellstrom had lived in the New York area for 7 years based on the idea that it takes 7 years to replace all the cells in ones' body. This project is about becoming connected to a place.

The 1999 Mandala series was shown in China and NYC in 2000/01 respectively. The structure of these paintings was the basis for Patter Hellstrom's 2003 FLOWER MANDALA installation project commissioned by JPMorgan Chase (see on this site under installation work). The Mandala is often seen as a spiritual tool. Used in this case it represents healing journey.