PAT FAIRHEAD, M.A., M.ED., R.C.A., C.S.P.W.C., O.S.A.

Born in Yorkshire, England, Pat Fairhead came to Canada as a child, and after two days in Toronto she went to Bracebridge – Chief Island (between Browning Island and Eileen Gowan Island), and fell in love with the Canadian landscape and outdoor living. Now after living in Toronto for most of her life she has bought a house/studio on Brandy Lake to complete the circle and enjoy outdoor life. Pat has camped in the Amazon jungle, hiked the Australian outback, climbed glaciers in New Zealand, sailed to Alaska, Labrador by freighter and made seven trips to the Arctic. Other adventures have taken her to Egypt, Crete, South Africa, Greenland, and Canadian canoe trips to the French River, North Shore Lake Superior and Desolation Sound, B.C.

Passionate about her work and living life to its fullest extent, Pat has painted full time since 1979 and is considered to be one of the top woman painters in Canada. Her sweeping expressive landscapes and gardens exhibit the fresh, luminous colours and highly controlled brush techniques that are the traits of a master watercolourist. Exceptional speed and control are required to produce her very large watercolours. Most of her series paintings (4 to 12 pieces) are 50 by 45 inches. As well as art galleries and private collections, Pat’s paintings are in the prestigious Royal Collection of Drawings and Watercolours in Windsor Castle, and in over 200 corporate collections.

Pat Fairhead is a Master of Arts graduate of Goddard College in Vermont, and holds a Masters of Adult Education degree from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. Elected a member of the Royal Academy of Art in 1993, she is also an active member of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto and was one of the first women members of the club started by the Group of Seven.

Educating others has been an extremely important aspect of her life. She has taught workshops with children, teens, university students and adults. Workshops at Grande Prairie, Alberta and Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba have dealt with art, light, sound and dance. Others at the Ontario College of Art and Design and the University of Alberta saw Pat combining sculpture, light, colour, taste, touch and smell. The essence of these workshops is that education must involve the whole person, and that the arts are a vital part education. Over the last six years she has worked with the McMaster University School of Nursing, Oncology Department, with students, staff, patients and their families.

Pat Fairhead is absolutely passionate about her work, and describes it as the core of her life. She is often asked to speak about her passion, her life as an artist, her world travels, and the many issues that confront other women artists today. It is a delight to meet Pat, and listen to what she has to say about her life and her many unique adventures.

www.patfairhead.ca

Pat Fairhead is represented by:

Muskoka Place Gallery, Muskoka, ON

Martha Mabey Gallery, Biloxi, Mississippi, USA

Thielsen Galleries Inc., London, ON

Trias Gallery, Toronto, ON