Art of Awareness

Patricia Laspino received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Bowling Green State University in 1977, where she majored in Fine Art and concentrated her fields of study and studio specialization on painting, drawing and sculpture. After completing preparatory coursework in Biological Illustration with the B.G.S.U. College of Arts and Sciences, she also received an academic minor in Biology, with a focus on botany and horticulture. She later went on to master her skills in biological illustration doing post graduate work with the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. 

Considering herself a composer in art, she carefully constructs sculptural compositions as the base of her paintings to entice you to linger and  experience her textures which resemble fossilized flora and fauna. She then skillfully applies as many as 70-80 transparent layers of oil paint like veils, to illuminate from within.Through juxtaposing contrasting  hues and shadows, she dramatically portrays the sublime and temporal florescence of her orchid subjects. Her compositions romantically illustrate the sensual forms of nature and are as compelling as the exotic species they depict.

Patricia Laspino's paintings have been exhibited across the United States and are in many  prominent  private and public collections. Her work hangs in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Botanic Garden at the Capitol, American Orchid Society and the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale among others. Notable solo exhibitions include  the U.S. Botanic Garden at the Capitol, the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, MO and Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA.