Patricia Zannie

Creativity and the philosophy and techniques of Cezanne, Matisse, Gauguin, and other rebel Master Artists who developed the concepts of Modern Art are the cornerstone of my intuitive approach to art. The Japanese understanding of “Satori” or enlightenment permeates my personal and professional commitment toward Life as the “greatest art.” It is within this context that I have chosen to be a collage artist and to share this satisfying experience with my students.

I believe creativity is a universal, innate human process, and that individuals are unique and precious, having the capacity to develop themselves and express their own experiences of and in this life. I also believe that art is a part of our human experience that connects us to each other through visual and other forms of communication.

For me, collage is the Jazz of the visual art forms: improvisational and spontaneous. I “paint” with paper-- snippets of various handmade mulberry, banana, and rice papers from the Orient, papyrus from Egypt, classic prints from Paris and London, Origami from Japan and vibrant colors and contemporary images from Haute Couture magazines of today. The world is my palette and trinkets, as well as dried flowers, and mementoes find their way into my collages. Creating a collage becomes a game, like putting pieces of a puzzle together without the picture on the top of the box. Inks, watercolors, oil pastels and layers of varnish are intermingled and layered with the papers to achieve both subtle and detailed embellishments.

My abstractions from nature appear representational. But, within the detail, the viewer can see two-dimensional flat patterns and geometric cut shapes that may be totally and mysteriously unrelated to the optical reality they are supposed to represent. Each collage is a leap of faith and a unique adventure into the unknown. Each artwork takes on a life of its own, some expanding out of the two-dimensional picture plane into the reality of the viewer’s space. Every outcome is a potpourri of blended objects and a complete, unique surprise.

Color has interested Patricia Zannie since she sat in her high chair during World War II, falling in love with her first box of crayons. As a "Modern" mixed media, collage artist, she continues to incorporate crayons, along with oil pastels, inks and paint into her art works over 68 years later. She attended Summer Art Camp at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY at the age of six and was exhibiting her artwork in pastels and fashion designs, winning "Gold Key" awards in the Scholastic Art Exhibitions while in grammar school.

As an "Honors" student in high school, Patricia majored in the Fine Arts and continued to win "Gold Key" awards in the Scholastic Art Exhibitions, as well as receiving "Outstanding Student" awards from the VFW in two consecutive years. She was elected into the National Honor Society, as well as President of the Student Council.

Patricia Zannie received a BS (Cum Laude) from LeMoyne College, in Syracuse, NY, and worked as an Investigative Economist for 31-1/2 years for the Federal Government. She is listed in several of the Marquis Who's Who Biographies, including "Who's Who of Southern Scientists and Engineers," "Who's Who of America," "Who's Who of American Women" and "Who's Who of Junior Colleges."

Patricia received her Fine Arts degree from the Maryland College of Art & Design (MCAD) winning numerous awards as a student and has been teaching concepts of creativity and design at the School of Art & Design at Montgomery College (formerly MCAD) for the past 13 years. She and her collage titled "Canyon" were featured in the "50/50=100%" faculty and alumni exhibit. She also represented Alumni in the "State of the Arts at Montgomery College's School of Arts & Design Cafritz Art Center" which appeared both on TV and on the web (HIPHOP Takeover and Teletube Archive). She lectures and conducts workshops for various art organizations on aspects of "Exploring Creativity," "Collage" and the "Principles of Design." Her students also have won numerous awards in various venues in the Mid-Atlantic States.

Patricia Zannie received the Montgomery County 2003 Path of Achievement Award in Arts and Humanities for her personal perseverance and dedication to further her own education as well as assist others at developing access and expressions of individual creativity through the visual arts. Interviews were written in the Senior Beacon and covered on local TV.

Patricia Zannie completed an "internship" training and worked several years as a volunteer crisis intervention counselor at the Bethesda MD Crisis Center. She also volunteered as a docent for the historic Glenview Mansion in Rockville, MD.

As a member of the Rockville Art League, and on its Board of Directors, Patricia has won numerous First Place awards in their semi-annual juried member shows on exhibition at the Glenview Mansion over the past twenty years.

Patricia was invited to join and unanimously juried into the Foundry Gallery in 2007 and participates in both solo and group shows at the gallery each year.

She also was invited to exhibit her work at the Dennis & Philip Ratner Museum and is a current member of the Circle Gallery in Annapolis, MD (Maryland Federation of Artists) and has both exhibited her collages and won awards in their juried member exhibitions. She also is a member of the Rehoboth Beach Art League and the Writer's Center of Bethesda, MD.