Artist's Work Brings Her Through Childhood of Despair

It is possible that by creating art Patricia Brutchin survived a childhood of despair and misery; most certainly she set a course in her life she could not have imagined at the tender age of 8. 

Growing up in a working class family in Kansas, Brutchin escaped brutal living conditions in her home by retreating into a world of drawing. Her early drawings were both of fantasy to escape and expressions of anger to release—her lifeline until at age 15 the state removed her and her siblings into protective custody. There, she was encouraged to develop her talents by her kindly caretakers. 

While art served as refuge then, it provided a therapeutic release and recovery through adulthood and ultimately to life of joy and fulfillment today in her studio at Crystal Lake’s Lakeside Legacy Arts Park. 

“Art is what carried me and allowed me to go through that,” she said. 

Today Brutchin’s bronze castings, colorful ink renderings, clay sculptures and reliefs have graced the grounds of museums, galleries, collectors and art shows throughout the Midwest—winning her well-deserved notoriety.

Her work is a means for reflection and expression, often intricately entwined in a single composition. 

The artist’s first terra cotta sculpture, Fallen Angel, is a symbol of survival, she said, which represents the end of one way of life and the beginning of another. She created the sculpture in 2000 as she was gaining confidence as an artist and recognizing her self-worth. 

“That’s me; of what I’ve been through,” she said. “Fallen Angel was a doorway for me. The wings were clipped, but they can come back.” 

Four years ago she created her terra cotta Madonna relief, which she says is reflective of her inner peace now. In stark contrast to the roughness of Fallen Angel, Madonna portrays a contemplative image enveloped in a soothing background. 

Last year, Brutchin entered a new creative phase in her colorful ink work on 100-foot scrolls of rice paper, featured at Lakeside to great acclaim. Entitled “An On-Going Dialogue,” a series of quick studies of a studio model is portrayed one after another. 

“For me, they become a continuous dialogue in working from the model/artist relationship,” she said. “It becomes a way to unveil my inhibitions, relax and explore the possibilities of my approach.” 

They are reminiscent of her larger ink renderings, also of studio models, that often appear playful and abstract. 

Brutchin earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Wichita State University in Kansas while working full time building airplanes at the Cessna and Boeing plants to pay her bills. She subsequently won a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati in Ohio where she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. 

Brutchin has held many teaching positions over the years, most notably as an instructor at the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg, where she taught for 10 years until returning to studio work full time. Today she offers workshops in her Lakeside studio in life drawing and sculpting. 

Algonquin sculptor Michael Howey attended one of Brutchin’s workshops, attracted by the opportunity to work with her and the live models she provides for students. 

“I really like her work,” he said. “The thing attracts me the most is that she’s traditionally trained and uses a traditional approach as far as doing work from models. She’s creating from the source whereas not from an avant-garde style.”

Glen Ellyn painter B.J. Chevalier worked with Brutchin at the Illinois Institute of Art for 10 years, teaching the foundational courses in art with her. Together they developed the drawing class and shared a love of figurative artwork. 

“She’s absolutely passionate about teaching. Her students love her to death,” she said. “I think she’s a wonderful artist. She’s so passionate about her work.” 

Brutchin has rented studio space from Lakeside for the past four years, which also displays her work.  While much of her time is creating work for various exhibitions, she finds time for the occasional commissioned work. Her bronze castings are created at a foundry in the Northwest suburbs. 

She remembers vividly making the decision to make art her focus in life while working at Nashville, Tennesee’s Opryland as a sketch artist. She noticed long lines forming at her booth and determined that people valued her work. 

She was further encouraged when, while a student at Wichita State University, a juror of a national exhibit purchased her entry of a still life painting. 

“It was then I knew I was meant to be an artist,” she said.