Artist Profile: Patrick Downey
Patrick Downey was raised in the city of Minneapolis—coming of age as an ardent participant in disco, then punk rock and the musical aftermath of punk rock. He was also a musician in a band for a while in the Twin Cities area before living in New York City from 1983 until 2009. Downey is still the proprietor of The Victory, a coffee shop originally started in Brooklyn in 1999, which he relocated to Madison in 2010. He continues to make art, coffee and music while raising his two sons.
1) Describe your favorite type of art to create. Does it differ from your fave type of art to consume?
I like to make art with paint markers using A LOT of paint (in thick heavy lines) with a fair amount of contrasting colors, including colors that are not thought to be complementary. I tend to make patterns by building up groups of lines, but try very hard not to plan the end result. I guess you could call it improvisational. Since I don’t have any formal training, one might also say “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
However when I happen upon a way of making things fit together, I do it over and over and over again—always hoping that the unplanned aspect of both the lines and the colors will create something that tells some new kind of story. Yet not a narrative or something that I could say in words. So it does differ from the kind of art I like to look at, which is almost any kind. But I especially dig Australian Indigenous art; graffiti (all kinds of graffiti from NYC in particular); and color field painting.
2) What memorable responses have you had to your work?
The most memorable experiences have been that a fair number of people have bought paintings from me. It may be tacky to say, but the fact that I have sold individual pieces of art for up to a couple thousand dollars kind of blows my mind. I also like that a lot of people enjoy wearing t-shirts with my art on them as well as when little kids like the work hanging in my coffee shop.
3) Any new opportunities or projects you're hoping to pursue in 2023?
I keep meaning to have actual “shows” of my work at the cafe—complete with openings and adding new designs to the t-shirt collection. That may happen next year.
4) Share 2-3 artists you wish people were more aware of.
Hmm, that’s a tough one! I wish people were more willing to find value in the things that people they know create, plus that they create themselves—whether that be visual art, singing, playing an instrument or just engaging their wit and imagination in the endless stream of moments that happen and we don’t think count…such as getting coffee at a local business.
I’m also always a fan of the kind of ‘in-your-face’ expression of “I’m here,” which is what often drives people to ‘write’ graffiti. Or at least that’s my personal experience looking at it.