Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Brett.
Hi Patricia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a full-time visual artist (sculptor and printmaker). Being an artist was all I really wanted to do as a kid. I studied architecture and had a long career as an architect. I wasn’t an artist, but it was a close second in that it allowed me to support myself, use my brain, and be very creative.
The education of an architect is incredible and really prepared me for my life as an artist. I have a BS in Architecture from The Ohio State University and a Master of Architecture from Yale University. My time at Yale was primarily spent exploring conceptual ideas through models and drawings, much like what I am currently doing with my artistic practice.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The life of an architect can be pretty intense, especially being a mom at the same time.
Once I made the commitment to making art full-time, there was no looking back.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve embraced a lot of mediums and materials in my art. In the past I have worked in oil, watercolor, ink and wash, ceramics, figurative sculpture; the list goes on. I took a lot of courses and workshops to make up for lost time. I really love diving into new mediums to explore the nature of the materials and to see where I can push them; I do a lot of experimenting.
Currently, I am working in monochromatic (mainly white and off-white) embossed prints and cast paper reliefs. I have a bit of an obsession with the bas-relief (2-D sculpture that projects out from the wall). I’ve been playing with large-scale cast paper reliefs and seeing how far I can push this medium.
With the use of the facilities at the Morgan Paper Conservatory here in Cleveland, and with the assistance of their team of papermakers, I hand make 60″ x 40″ sheets of thick paper and cast them into reliefs. The work I am doing now seems pretty unique, not many people work in paper so large. I’ve become known for these large scale, monochromatic paper reliefs.
This past summer I had two simultaneous solo shows which was quite a challenge. “Line Weights: Cast Paper Reliefs” was presented at TenBerke in New York City, June through August, 2025; and “Home: I Guess That This Must be the Place” was at The Sculpture Center in Cleveland in August, 2025.
I’m really proud of the work I created for both shows. While they both consisted of my cast paper relief work, they had very different themes and explored cast paper in varied ways. The Sculpture Center show was a site-specific installation (my first) and I’m really proud of how deeply personal I was able to go with this body of work while also drawing on the influence of the site and the theme of “Home”.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Life is short, do what you love. Don’t let anyone or any circumstances limit you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.patriciabrett.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricia.brett/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://tenberke.com/artist/patricia-brett/
- Other: https://sculpturecenter.org/patricia-brett/
Image Credits
Jane Huntington
Jacob Koestler
