About the Artist

Patty B.’s career in still life painting arose from her love of the decorative arts and the potential of realism to convey a symbolic narrative. Driscoll distills moments, where light, object, and flowers reveal themselves like characters on a stage. The paintings invite the viewer into an ephemeral world, where compositions are carefully prepared as treats for the eye. Driscoll considers each object as a memory keeper, family artifacts that represent the history of gatherings and celebrations.

Awed by the magic of realism, Driscoll draws inspiration from the often overlooked female Still-life painters of the Golden Age; particularly works by Fede Galizia, Giovanna Garzoni, and Maria Van Oosterwyck. Considered the lowest genre of academic art during the Renaissance, still-life painting was considered an acceptable realm of painting for these women to express themselves and earn a living. After years of working with the intricate processes of weaving and cake decorating, Driscoll is attracted to the exacting detail of the seventeenth century masterpieces and their depictions of intimate settings within the domestic interior.

Driscoll received her MFA from the California College of Arts after completing her undergraduate work in Studio Art and Art History at Skidmore College. She now lives and works in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, two children, two dogs, and two cats.