A studio artist residing in Greenville, SC, Patricia Kilburg grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. She loved to take the train into the City and soak in the energy and rhythms of urban life. The Art Institute of Chicago was one of her favorite stops. She visited frequently as a child, and later with her husband Don. Viewing the collections and exhibits there was the catalyst that triggered an interest in making her own art.
Ms. Kilburg is drawn to and inspired by visual imagery that looks like one thing, but, upon closer examination, reveals quite another. "I find there is an aesthetic appeal, a sort of grace, to what appears to be ugly, old or worn. In contrast to that, I often observe the flaws in what seems to be perfect beauty. The paradox is fascinating to me," says Ms. Kilburg. "It cannot be a perfect World, and, yet, there is sublime perfection to be found in the everyday world." (Scroll down for more info)
ARTIST STATEMENT
While exploring subject matter that interests me, I like to emphasize an element of texture. I build up layers, using acrylic paint and other mediums. I want there to be a lot going on in my paintings, with “secret places” for the eye to go and the imagination to be triggered. There is a sense of mystery and ambivalence, where reality is momentarily suspended, evoking the viewer’s own feelings and experiences.
A recurring theme in my work is the ambiguity of Time, which is both meaningful and meaningless. By employing architectural, historical, and natural images, and the use of symbols, I seek to suggest eternity, mortality, and the fragility of existence.
My inspiration is nourished by my extensive travels. I take many photographs of the places I visit, and use these images as a starting point. The medium for these works is acrylic paint, but I may also include fabric, thread, inks, paper, photo imagery, oil sticks, pencils, rust, found objects, and whatever else it takes to enrich the surface and convey the message.
Education | Collections | Awards | Exhibitions | Publications | Professional Affiliations | Process
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M. Graham and Company Merchandise Award, South Carolina Watermedia Society 31st Annual Exhibition, Franklin Burroughs-Simeon Chapin Art Museum, Myrtle Beach, SC |
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HK Holbein, Inc. Merchandise Award, South Carolina Watermedia Society 30th Annual Exhibition, Spartanburg Art Museum, Spartanburg, SC |
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Honorable Mention - Art in the Park Juried Exhibition, Greenville, SC |
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Honorable Mention - Quilters of South Carolina, Our Future is Our Past, Aiken,SC |
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Award of Merit, Art in the Park, Greenville SC |
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Award of Merit, Art in the Park, Greenville SC |
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Second Place, Viewers' Choice, Wallhanging, Foothills Piecemakers Quilting Guild Show, Greenville SC |
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First Place Judged, Wall Quilt, Fall Quilt Show, Tarheel Piecemakers and Western NC Quilters Guild, Hendersonville NC |
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First Place Viewers' Choice, Wallhanging, Foothills Piecemakers Quilting Guild |
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First Place Viewers' Choice, Wallhanging, Inland Empire Quilters Guild, Corona CA |
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Second Place, Judged, Appliqued Wallhanging, Inland Empire Quilters Guild, Corona CA |
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Second Place Viewers' Choice, Quilters Plus Quilt Guild, Harvey IL |
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Metropolitan Arts Council, Greenville, SC: One-Stop Open Studios: A Retrospective of Open Studios Artists, 2002-2008 |
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Anderson Arts Center, Anderson, SC: Anderson Arts Center 34th Annual Juried Show, Juror: Michael W. Haga, Assistant Dean, College of Charleston's School of the Arts, Charleston, SC |
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Centre Stage, Greenville, SC: Artisphere Artists of the Upstate Juried Exhibition, Juror: Janiece Meek, Independent Communications Consultant, Founder, Publisher and Editor of The Critical Review, a monthly arts publication, Co-Founder/Owner of Marie-Terrell Gallery, Asheville, NC |
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Upstairs Artspace, Tryon, NC: String of Pearls: 30 Years of Upstairs Art |
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Belton Center for the Arts, Belton, SC: The Art of Studio South: A Touch of Red |
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Franklin Burroughs-Simeon Chapin Art Museum, Myrtle Beach, SC: South Carolina Watermedia Society 31st Annual Exhibition, Juror: Mark E. Mehaffey, AWS, NWS |
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The Arts Company Gallery, Seneca, SC: The Everchanging River |
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South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, SC: South Carolina State Museum 20th Anniversary Juried Art Exhibition, Juror: Brian Rutenburg, New York City, NY, and Lia Newman, Director of Programs and Exhibitions, Artspace, Raleigh, NC |
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Tryon Fine Arts Center, Tryon, NC: 11th Biennial Western North Carolina Juried Art Exhibit, Juror: Jane Nodine, Professor of Art and Gallery Director of USC Upstate, Spartanburg, SC |
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Pickens County Museum of Art and History, Pickens, SC: Twenty-Ninth Annual Juried South Carolina Artists Exhibition, Juror: Josh Z. Yu, Professor and Chair of the Painting Department , Savannah College of Arts and Design, Savannah, GA |
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FYI Gallery, Greenville, SC: …6, 7, 8,9…Inaugural Show, Curator: Michael Brodeur, Associate Professor, Art Department, Furman University, Greenville, SC |
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Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg, SC: Perceptions: Mixed Media Collage Works by Patricia Kilburg, solo exhibit |
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Metropolitan Arts Council, Greenville, SC: Open Studios Retrospective 2008 Exhibit (One Stop Open Studios) |
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Metropolitan Arts Council, Greenville, SC: Open Studios 2007 Exhibit |
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Spartanburg Art Museum, Spartanburg, SC: South Carolina Watermedia Society 30th Annual Exhibition, Juror: John Salminen, AWS, NWS, DF, Duluth, MN |
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Upstate Visual Arts Gallery, Greenville, SC: Threads, Strings ’n Surprising Things |
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Spartanburg Museum of Art, Spartanburg, SC: The Third Biennial Hub City Regional Juried Art Competition, Juror: Dr. Marian Wardle, Curator of American Art, Brigham Young University Museum of Art |
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Union County Arts Council, Union, SC, Juror: Mary Todd Beam, ASW, NWS |
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Pickens County Cultural Commission, Pickens, SC: Twenty-Seventh Annual Juried South Carolina Artists Exhibition, Juror: Xandra Eden, Curator, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC |
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Upstate Visual Arts, Claude E. Smith, Jr. Juried Show, Juror: Tom Dimond, Professor, Department of Art, Clemson University, Clemson, SC |
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Anderson Arts Center, Anderson, SC: 31st Annual Juried Show, Juror: Mark Leach, Director, Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC |
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Upstate Visual Arts, Greenville, SC: The Fifth Annual Holiday Gallery Juried Exhibition, Juror: Pat Grills, Teacher, Riverside High School, Greer, SC |
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Dent Gallery, Spartanburg, SC: Two person invitational exhibit |
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Side Street Gallery, Pittsboro, NC: Art Quilts of the Southeast |
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Fran Hanson Discovery Center, SC Botanical Garden, Clemson, SC: Focus: Fiber Art |
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U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, Guatemala |
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Conn Gallery & The Upstairs Gallery, Landrum, SC: Doors and Other Openings |
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Anderson County Arts Center, Anderson, SC: Sew Colorful! Celebration Quilts |
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Pickens County Art Museum, Pickens, SC: Focus: An Exhibition of Fiber Artists |
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Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC: Quilts from the Carolinas |
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Spartanburg County Museum of Art, Fabric Art by Focus: 10 Upstate Fabric Artists |
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Upstate Visual Arts invitational exhibit, Greenville, SC, Windows on Main |
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Brooks Center for the Performing Arts, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, Focus: Art Quilts |
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Erskine College, Due West , SC, Focus: Fabric Art |
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Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum, , Coshocton OH, Pushing the Surface, invitational exhibit |
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Upstairs Gallery, Tryon, NC, Works of Iron, Walls of Cloth, invitational exhibit |
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Upstairs Gallery, Tryon, NC, Sticks and Stones: Art of the Built Environment |
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Hyatt Regency, Greenville, SC, Art in the Park Award Exhibition |
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Upstate Visual Arts, Greenville, SC, Art in the Park, mixed media exhibit |
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Medicus Outreach Gallery, Anderson, SC |
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Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Greenville, SC |
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Clemson Chamber of Commerce, Clemson, SC |
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Metropolitan Area Arts Council, Greenville, SC, Festivale 95, Juror: William Bodine, Chief Curator, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC |
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The Fabric of Freedom, Easley, SC, Juror: Richard Waterhouse, Visual Arts Manager of the Georgia Council for the Arts, Atlanta, GA |
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Personal Art and Interiors Gallery, Greenville, SC |
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Art of the Upstate Gallery, Greenville, SC |
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Pages Gallery, Flossmoor, IL, Spring |
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Barrington Area Arts Council, Barrington, IL, Expressions in Quilting, Juror: Ruth Volid, Owner Ruth Volid Gallery, Ltd., Chicago, IL |
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Park Forest Art Gallery, Park Forest, IL |
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National Tour of "The Emerging Woman Project: A Visual Vestige of the 20th Century", Chicago IL, Illinois branch of the American Association of University Women |
| Participated in the creation of the "Visual and Literary Arts Panel" for an Illinois branch of the American Association |
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The Middle Tyger Times, Duncan, SC: January 24, 2008, p9A |
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Carolina Arts, Vol. 11, No. 10, October 2007, p. 22 |
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The Greenville News, Greenville, SC: Talk Art, Fall/Winter 2007-2008, p. 6 |
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Quilt Art Engagement Calendar |
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Folk Art, Magazine of the American Folk Art Museum, Summer, p. 18 |
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American Craft Magazine, June/July, Gallery, pp. 76-77 |
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Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine, July/Aug, No. 344, News in Quilting Around the World, p. 12 |
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American Quilter, Fall, article "Multiple by Choice", co-authored by artist, pp.13-16 |
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The Greenville News, Notions, 2/10/95; photo and text p. 20 |
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The Greenville News, 9/27/1991, "Quilt Show Set for Oct. 5-6", photo p. 20 |
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The Greenville Piedmont News, 9/4/1991, "Airport gallery provides glimpse of art for those on the move", photo p. 1 |
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Traditional Quiltworks Magazine, Issue 5, Nov/Dec/Jan-1990, "Non-traditional Quilting on Traditional Quilts", photo, p. 53 |
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Quilters Newsletter Magazine, October 1990, "Quilting Bee", photo and letter, p. 62 |
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Promise, supplement to the Chicago Tribune (a publication of the Woman's Board of Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center), May 20, 1990, p. 13 |
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The Magazine, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago IL, Spring 1990, cover photo |
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The Homewood/Flossmoor Star, June 22, 1989, "Quilters' Art to Unfold at Juried Exhibit", p. C-2 |
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