Patricia Watwood is a classical figurative oil painter. Watwood's paintings explore transformative narratives and mythological archetypes using the human figure. Her oil paintings prioritize aesthetic principles and technical rigor, balancing perception and design. Watwood has exhibited at galleries and institutions worldwide such as Hirschl & Adler and The Forbes Galleries in NYC, The New Britain Museum of American Art, The Butler Museum, and the Bruce Museum. In 2012-2013, her work was viewed in China in an historic presentation of American painting, Contemporary American Realism, which toured six cities including Beijing and Shanghai. Watwood’s solo museum exhibit, Patricia Watwood: Myths & Individuals was on view in two venues in 2011-2012: St. Louis University Museum of Art, and The Forbes Galleries, NYC. Watwood’s portraits are in the collections of Harvard University, St. Louis City Hall, and Weill-Cornell Medical College.
Watwood earned her MFA with Honors from New York Academy of Art, and studied with Jacob Collins as a founding member of the Water Street Atelier. Watwood has been an adjunct professor of drawing at New York Academy of Art, and has given lectures and workshops across the country, and is a featured art instructor with Craftsy.com. She is a writer for American Artist and American Arts Quarterly. In 2012, she produced an instructional DVD: Figure Painting: Realistic Skin Tone with Patricia Watwood, with Interweave Press.
Education:
1996 - 2000 - Water Street Atelier, Brooklyn, New York
1996 - 1999 - New York Academy Graduate School of Figurative Art, MFA, summa cum lande, NYC
1998 - Ecole Albert Defois, France
1994 - 96 - Academy of Realist Art, Seattle, Washington
1989 - 93 - BFA, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, magna cum laude
2013 Venus Apocalyspe, Dacia Gallery, NYC
2013 Scenes from a Pilgrimage, (Collaboration with Stefan Hagen)
Open Source Gallery, Brooklyn NY
2012 Patricia Watwood: Myths and Individuals, The Forbes Gallery, NYC
2011 Patricia Watwood: Myths and Individuals, St. Louis Uni. Museum of Art, MO
2010 Portraits 20/10, Open Source Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2008 Figures, Open Source Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2001 Meredith Long and Co, Houston, TX
2000 The Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2015 Ackrill, Minoff, Morfis & Watood, Grenning Gallery, Sag Habor, NY
Primavera, Dacia Gallery, NYC
Blue Drawings, (Also Curating) Portraits Inc, NYC
2014 Nunc Veritatem, Dacia Gallery, NYC
6x9, National Arts Club, NYC
2013 Diverse Visions of Reality, Diego Salazar, Long Island City, NY

Nocturnes, National Arts Club, NYC
2012-13 Contemporary American Realism, Beijing World Art Museum, Beijing, CN
Six city tour 9/12-11/13: Beijing, Dalian, Tianjin, Wuhan, Hangzhou, and Shanghai
2012 Will Wilson Curates, John Pence Gallery, San Francisco
New York Academy of Art Summer Exhibition, Flowers Gallery, NYC
2011 Art + Architecture, Gowanus Ballroom, Brooklyn, NY
ACOPAL: Contemporary American Realism, National Arts Club, NYC
Timberfield 10, The Forbes Gallery, NYC
2010 Inspiring Figures: An Exhibit Celebrating American Women in Figurative Art,
The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH
2010 A Contemporary View of Women Reading, The Forbes Gallery, NYC
The Human Figure, John Pence Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2009 Enchantment, Joseloff Museum Gallery, University of Hartford, CT
2008 Five Women, John Pence Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2006 Slow Painting, The Oglethorpe Museum, Atlanta, GA
2005 The Next Generation of Realists, The Forbes Gallery, NYC
2004 New York Realism APEX Gallery, Washington DC
2003 Re-Presenting Representation VI, The Arnot Museum, Elmira, NY
Exposed: The Nude, and Self Portraits, John Pence Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2002 The Great American Nude, The Bruce Museum of Arts and Sciences, Greenwich, CT
2001 Patricia Watwood and Paula Rubino, The Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
2001 New York Realists, Galerie Albert Benamou, Paris, France
2000 New York--Classicism--Now, Hirschl & Adler, NYC
1999 New Realism for the New Millennium, Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, NY
1999 A New Generation: New York Academy Artists, Dahesh Museum, NYC
Selected Commissions:
2014 Sister Ann Manganaro SL, MD, Cardinal Glennon Hospital
2009 Julie and Russel Patterson, Weill Cornell Medical College, NYC
2008 Dean Patricia Monteleone, St. Louis University Medical School, MO
2006 Ida B Wells, The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, MA
2005 The Rev. Dr. Paul Smith, First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, NY
2002 The Honorable Clarence Harmon, St. Louis City Hall, MO
2001 Cecelia Payne Gaposchkin, Harvard University, MA
Awards:
2011 International Portrait Competition Honor Award
Portrait Society of America
1999,1997 James Amster Memorial Award, National Arts Club
1997 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant
1997 Stacey Scholarship
1997 Leslie T. Posey & Frances U. Posey Foundation Scholarship
Teaching:
2012-present Craftsy.com
2009-2012 The Teaching Studios of Art, Brooklyn, NY
2010 Adjunct Professor of Drawing, New York Academy of Art, NYC
Writing/Video:
2011-present Blog contributor to ArtistDaily.com
Watwood, Patricia. “Big Beauty and Form Sense in Contemporary Figurative Practice.” American Arts Quarterly, Spring 2014, p. 16-26.
Watwood, Patricia. “Step-by-Step Drawing Demonstration: Still Life.” Drawing: The Complete Course. Loveland, Colorado: Interweave Press, 2011: p.49-55.
DVD: Figure Painting Realistic Skin Tone with Patricia Watwood, 169 minutes, 2012 Interweave Press.
Press:
Winner, Lauren. “Means of Participation.” Image, No. 80, Winter/Spring 2014, p. 101-103.
O’Hern, John. “Back to Nature.” American Art Collector, Oct 2014, p. 80-83.
Malafronte, Alison. “Patricia Watwood: Venus Apocalypse.” FineArtConnoisseur.com, June 13, 2013.
Maidman, Daniel, “Gold, White, Pink, Indigo: Patricia Watwood's Venus Apocalypse.” Huffington Post, June 3, 2013.
Caporale, Wende. “Patricia Watwood: A Day in the Life of an Artist,” International Artist, June/July 2013, p. 26-29.
Kralik, Brandon. “Contemporary Classical Painting is Still Growing.” Huffington Post, June 4, 2013.
Williams, Austin. “Contemporary Artists,” Drawing Magazine, Nov 2013, p.75-77.
Maidman, Daniel, “Nudes, Nudes, Electric Nudes,” Huffington Post, April 17, 2012.
Egnoski, Christine. “Patricia Watwood: My Point of View.” International Artist Dec/Jan. 2012: Duncan, James. “Patricia Watwood: Myths and Individuals.” American Artist, Feb 2012, p.52-57.
Trippi, Peter. “Patricia Watwood: Making the Timeless Timely.” Fine Art Coinnoisseur Dec. 2011: p. 36-40. p.26-31.
Panero, James. “Gallery Chronicle.” The New Criterion June 2010: p.49.
Parks, John A. “Patricia Watwood: Contemporary & Classical.” American Artist May 2010: p.36-43. (cover image)
Menendez, Didi. “Patricia Watwood.” Oranges & Sardines Nov. 2008: p.66-71.
Doherty, Stephen. "The Next Generation of Realists.” American Artist Jan. 2005: p.18-31. (cover image)
"Realism Reimagined." Washington Post May 21, 2004, Weekend: p.39.
Westbrook, Lindsey. “Reviews ‘Self Portraits John Pence Gallery.” ArtNews April 2004: p.12.
“The Great American Nude.” American Art Review Aug. 2002: p.160-165.
Wetmore, Gordon. “Patricia Watwood & the Figurative Tradition.” International Artist Oct/Nov. 2002: p.33- 37.
“Off With The Clothes And On With The Art.” New York Times July 21, 2002, Sunday: Arts.
Scaccabarozzi, Paula. “Patricia Watwood.” Arte [Italy] Apr. 2001: p.43.
Kalayil, Ann. “Patricia Watwood.” American Artist May 2000: p.66-67.
“A Survey of Contemporary Figure Drawing.” American Artist Jan. 2000: p.70-75.
Bibliography:
McCann, Margaret. The Figure: Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture, Rizzoli, NY 2014.
Rinzler, J.W. Star Wars Art: Visions. New York, NY: Abrams, 2010.
Dijkstra, Bram. Naked: The Nude in America. New York, NY: Rizzoli, 2010.
Brooker, Suzanne. Portrait Painting Atelier. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2010.
Inmann, Christiane. Forbidden Fruit: The History of Women and Books in Art. New York, Munich, London: Prestel, 2009.
Collectors:
St. Louis City Hall
David and Shari Boehnen
Michael Huffington
The Forbes Collection
Weill Cornell Medical School
First Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn
Robert and Christine Emmons
Steven Bennett
Gregory and Margaret Hedberg
Lloyd Greif
Harvard University
Kennedy School of Government
St Louis University Medical School
St Louis University Hospital
Walter and Valerie Broughton
Melinda and Paul Sullivan
Kenneth and Marjorie Smith
