About the Artist
Patrick Dieli was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Los Angeles, California. He earned a BA in Theatre Arts at California State University, Los Angeles, and while there, developed an appreciation for abstract art, collage work and coloration. He’s worked steadily over the last thirty-five years discovering the fascinating world of color and design and implementing what he’s learned in his current art creations.
“Creativity is an exciting avenue to pursue. The road is laden with frustration, indecision and happenstance. But, the beauty of the process is that when we stay the course, and continue to move forward, we gain the confidence to share the experience with others. We open a dialogue that allows us to engage others, offering them a voice in the conversation. That contact relates how much they value what you have created. And, for this artist, that is incredible to experience.”
Patrick Dieli’s first solo art exhibition was in the early 1990s, in a coffeehouse in the North Park neighborhood in San Diego, California. That was followed by several group showings in the annual Art Walk staged in San Diego’s Little Italy area. He moved to Seattle, Washington, where he had several solo exhibit in the Lake Union area and elsewhere. Patrick offered several workshops on creativity while he continued to build a portfolio of mixed media works. Many of these art pieces are in private collections.
In the spring of 1996, Patrick traveled to Sicily, his father’s birthplace. During his initial visit to Caltagirone, the birthplace of ceramic arts, Patrick became fascinated with the intricate designs and colors displayed in the local ceramic arts. He spent hours at the local museum and libraries, pouring over books that cataloged the history of ceramic arts in that region, the use of colors and shapes, and the various styles developed by local artisans.
“Every morning, the librarian set three art books in front of me, and, one was always new. These oversized books chronicled the history of art on the island. Impressed with Caltigirone’s rich artistic history, prominent in La Scala, the ornate steps that divide the old and new parts of Caltigirone, my eyes were drawn to the intricate designs on the tile pieces. Each tile opened a dialogue that encouraged this observer to travel deeper into the story. These stories gave me the courage to share my own drawings and artwork. I am forever grateful for that opportunity. I have made several trips back to Sicily since that initial foray, and each time I left with a renewed respect for a heritage rich in symbolism.
The intricate Sicilian proverbs, translated by my late uncle, Arthur Dieli, in his last book, To A Great Lord, A Small Gift, where he asked me to design some simple character drawings that he included in the book, opened a world of wild imagination and foreboding. These small fables blend the simplicity of being caught in a moment of ordinary, and sometimes humorous circumstances. I often reread those proverbs, pull themes from them, and go about the process of creating artwork that draws from that rich heritage.”