Patrick Kitson
American Realistic Landscape and Seascape Painter

Patrick Kitson’s formal art training began at the age of nine when he studied with and was influenced by three well-respected artists: internationally known sculptor Donald DeLue; painter F. Travers Neidlinger; and nationally known illustrator Peter Carras.  It was here that Kitson first learned to appreciate the importance of an artistic community with each of these artists maintaining studios directly to the right, left and rear of his childhood home.  Being surrounded by these creative professionals provided Kitson with a nurturing artistic environment that encouraged him to explore and learn without boundaries. It was DeLue who taught Kitson to respect the complex nature in all living creatures; to understand the underlying form and structure found in every human, plant and animal.  Kitson began to notice the minute details in the world around him and translate those details into the countless graphite lines and brush strokes of his early work.

A love for nature and wildlife was discovered and cultivated at an early age as well.  Kitson was fortunate enough to have experienced some of America’s most treasured wilderness and was inspired largely by a trip to Yellowstone National Park where he was able to immerse himself in the majesty of the natural world firsthand.

These experiences culminated in Kitson’s decision to pursue art as a career.  He received a BFA in Illustration from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and he had his first gallery showing in Princeton, New Jersey, just one month after graduation.  At the age of 23, Patrick was invited to exhibit his work at Prestige Gallery in Canada alongside several world-renowned wildlife artists including Robert Bateman, Carl Brenders and John Seerey-Lester.

A major influence on Kitson’s work for the past few years has been the Hudson River School and the Luminist painters who followed.  John Frederick Kensett, Frederic Edwin Church and Albert Bierstadt all contributed to the direction Kitson’s work has taken. The Hudson River School’s tradition was founded on the spiritual ideals of painter Thomas Cole with regard to the harmony between humans and nature…­that nature is noble, a refuge both spiritually and physically.  Cole believed that an artist must reach beyond an exact depiction of nature to a realistic internal representation, to capture the spirit of the scene and to present something to the viewer that moves him in a spiritual way.  Using these principles, and his medium of choice, oils, Kitson explores in minute detail the intimate relationship between the natural world and the creatures that live within.  His sensitivity to the subtleties of lighting and texture brings to the viewer the minute and oftentimes overlooked details in nature that are so important to the visual narrative.  Kitson encourages his viewer to look beyond the surface of the artwork to the living and breathing world that is not evident at first glance.

In 1999, Kitson’s work was shown in two prestigious international magazines.  He was the featured artist in an article entitled, Fostered in Fine Art, in the May/June 1999 issue of Wildlife Art News, the premier magazine on wildlife and landscape art.  Wildlife Art News also included him in an issue featuring several artists who were creating groundbreaking work and should be watched in the new millennium.  Kitson was also one of twenty-five artists featured in the August 1999 issue of the magazine, U.S. Art, in an article called Introductions, also written to showcase talent to watch in the coming years. As an additional honor, Kitson was one of several artists featured in the recently released book, The Four Seasons of Chester County: The Artists by Red Hamer, a photographic exploration of the rich artistic history of Chester County, Pennsylvania, where Kitson currently maintains a studio.

His work has been widely exhibited, and it is a part of numerous corporate and private collections.   Kitson also paints commissioned landscapes and seascapes for private collectors. 

Artist’s Statement

“My paintings are a record of my experiences and ideas, an expression of heart and personal truth. My hope is to draw viewers to the experience and move them to walk through the painting, realizing the majesty and divinity of the natural world.

Researching new paintings is a daily process for me, constant and unconscious. I keep a sketchbook and camera with me at all times. The driving force behind my work is very personal.

I approach my palette similarly, utilizing only 7 basic colors. I keep the use of these colors very simple, focusing on tonal gradations and values of hues, keeping the introduction of new colors to a minimum. I find this keeps a harmony in my paintings, giving landscape a tranquil, naturalistic effect. Exploring the subtle gradations in nature, with a limited palette, also helps in the illusion of a natural three-dimensionality on a two-dimensional surface.

All my work starts with a drawing on panel-usually a very general layout. Then I just attack the panel, moving quickly over the entire surface, laying out composition and lighting. The first stage looks very much like a loose watercolor though it is actually oil paint combined with turpentine to thin it out. Very spontaneous and impressionistic, this early stage is the most important. It is where I give birth to the idea and the spirit of the place that I originally experienced. If I don’t feel it again at this stage, I usually don’t continue with it. This is also the most enjoyable stage for me because it is coming right from the heart, very primal. I can go into a creative, frenzied state where everything becomes a blur, and then suddenly I am done. The essence of the place is there on the panel. When this layer is dry, I go back over the entire piece, exploring the subtle detail and gradations in nature with tiny brush strokes.

I paint every day, usually putting in 70 hours a week.  My studio is in the loft of my townhouse, lit beautifully with natural light from skylights. I have several ponds nearby so migrating geese and ducks are always gliding past my open windows, especially during migration season.

My paintings are inspired from the beauty of the world itself, and depending on the size, each will take anywhere from two weeks to three months to complete.”

Galleries and Exhibitions                      

• Galleria Silecchia, Sarasota, FL, USA

• Tree’s Place Gallery, Orleans on Cape Cod, MA, USA

• Chadds Ford Gallery, Chadds Ford, PA, USA

• Brandywine Wildlife Expo Invitational, Unionville, PA, USA

• Ducks Unlimited Wildlife and Carving Invitational, Ridgeway, PA, USA

• Wings and Water Festival Invitational, sponsored by The Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, NJ, USA

• The Bird Show, sponsored by the New Jersey Audubon Society, Cape May, NJ, USA

• Jamestown Audubon Nature Art Invitational at The Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Jamestown, NY, USA

• 15th Annual Creative People Art Show at The Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA, USA, sponsored by The Franklin Mint Foundation for the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA

• Prestige Gallery Original Art Showcase, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

• Image Gallery, Princeton, NJ, USA


Contact Galleria Silecchia for more information on the works of American painter, Patrick Kitson.

Prices and availability are subject to change. The artist reserves all reproduction and copyrights. home  •  about us  •  artists  •  exhibits  •  contact Receive our Newsletter: Keep up-to-date with current events at Galleria Silecchia. We’ll let you know what’s happening and when. Newsletter Archive

Two locations:
GALLERIA SILECCHIA 12 S. Palm Avenue Sarasota, Florida 34236 20 S. Palm Avenue Sarasota, Florida 34236		phone: 941-365-7414 toll free: continental US & Canada 888-366-7414 fax: 941-365-7922 www.galleriasilecchia.com fineart@galleriasilecchia.com

© Galleria Silecchia 2000-06. Sarasota, Florida.
All rights reserved.
Site designed by Marje Cannon, hosted by