Patty Halley: Portrait artist

PALMER — It’s Iditarod time and we all know that is a celebration of the power, tenacity and intelligence of the dog. One local artist, Patty Halley, celebrates all our furry family members with her art. Patty produces pastel portraiture of the other “people” in our lives.

Patty has been drawing and painting since childhood, where she found joy making the scariest witches at Halloween or the merriest Santa at Christmas time. She grew up in Pittsburgh, Penn., and even in high school had a major in art. Her dream in her youth was to have her “corner” in the French Quarter of New Orleans to interact with tourists and locals producing charcoal portraits. Reality hit her hard and she had to drop out of Columbus School of Art and Design despite her scholarship. She joined the Army figuring eventually the GI Bill would get her through art school. She continued to do commissioned portraits in charcoal and pastels to make a bit of extra money while in the service.

As things would have it, finishing art school never materialized. When she completed her service she went into nursing. To a lot of folks in the Valley, she is best known as Mrs. Halley, school nurse.

Patty never gave up on her art, though. Her award-winning oils with vibrant nearly mystical skies became well known. She has been a favorite and best-of-class ribbon winner at the Alaska State Fair for many years as well. Her work “The Journey” is a wonderful example. She has had many successful one-person shows and has invariably been juried into the Alaska group shows.

She is also an active member of the Valley Fine Arts Association, Valley Arts Alliance, Palmer Arts Council and the club Gallery Gals.

One day a few years back, she took a class with her hero, Judi Rideout. It was a little class at the Palmer Museum of History and Art in painting animals with pastel. She was struck with a revelation (to which I can attest as I was sitting right by her) that this was what she wanted to do with her art.

After a few months of creating wonderful pastels of Alaskana, so much better than the average cliché work we see, (the fabulous pastel “Swan Song” comes to mind) suddenly she realized her love of portraiture and her love of animals could be married into doing commissioned pet portraits.

And that’s where we find her today!

I asked her who her influences were. Her neighbor Gail Niebrugge topped the list, and of course Rideout. I was floored when she mentioned me as No. 3. I pridefully turned red. It was difficult to believe I was held in esteem by such a wonderful artist. Of course, it has had no effect upon my critique.

I have often written on pastels as an equal to any other fine art medium, but they are especially suitable for painting fur.

Though pure pigment they are translucent and allow for a layering that emulates natural fur and feathers. After years of practice and study, Patty is able to use this medium on suede board to its best effect.

Pet portraiture requires a great deal more skill than one might imagine. First and obviously, you can’t communicate with our furry family members with just words, and I’m not sure pets hold the same importance to the work. Second, the artist must interpret a particular mood or emotion in an anthropomorphic way that is understandable. And third and most difficult for the artist is the artist must interpret how the owner sees their pet and its emotions. It takes a special person, a special empathy.

I think I know what humanity is necessary for this art. The late Eric Deeter painted pets and was an extremely kind person, one of the kindest I’ve ever known. Patty is such a kind person as well, an extremely Christian person in the true sense of the word. That kind of openness is important to achieving the understanding and trust required for this particular type of art. It may be why Mrs. Halley made such a great nurse, too.

Patty can be found at local dog shows showing her works or at halleyart.com for virtualists. Or you can find Patty around town doing good deeds for friends and community.

For disclosure, I had commissioned Patty to do two pet portraits. The works are the first you see in my home and I love them.

Gregory Gusse is a Palmer artist.