PAT BAVIN

Pat Bavin was born in 1949 and has lived in Windermere BC most of his life. He graduated from Selkirk College in 1970 with a Regional & Community Planning Diploma. He excelled in drafting and completed a Thesis Study in Alpine Park Planning. A foundation of perspective drawing and topographic mapping was established which helped his career, but more importantly, got him into the mountains a lot.

Pat has always needed creativity in his life and started working in stained glass in the mid 1970s. He did many windows in a Lawren Harris style of flowing landscape themes. drawing and design in stained glass mentally established a simple but powerful style.

In 1981 he attended the highly acclaimed Pilchuck Glass School near Seattle and returned in 1984 and 1994. Aside from developing a career as a glass blower he took courses in figure drawing, collage, composition, colour theory, acrylic painting and oils. Working in glass has developed a unique use and understanding of colour.

Perhaps what has given Bavin a very different outlook on elements, energy and colour was his introduction to Feng Shui in 1991. He also discovered the studies of Theosophy through painters like Lawren Harris and Emily Carr, which gives similar insights to the energy and feelings of nature.

Bavin believes in the ‘en plein air’ approach to painting where the primary designer is nature. His method is quite structured by going on site and doing a pencil sketch to establish tone and form, then a small acrylic colour sketch followed up with photos for reference. Bigger paintings are done in the studio from the above sketches and photos for reference.

His Artsaround juried ‘Basin Best’ entry in 2003 won the ‘Best Emerging Artist’ category for the Kootenays. His first exhibited show was in December 2003 along with his son Ryan, who specializes in black and white photography as well as glassblowing. Bavin presents his paintings in Village Arts and Bavin Glassworks in Invermere and Silver Tree Studio in Canmore, AB.

Artist’s Web Site: www.bavinglass.com
Artist’s Hometown: Windermere, BC