Catching up with Patrizia K Ingram

Writing this article has become an annual ritual for me. I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect on the proceeding 12 months, something that I otherwise don’t think I would take the time to do.  

(Want to catch up? Here are the links to Patrizia's previous posts:

An Interview with Patrizia K Ingram in January 2020

Patrizia's Dcember 2020 guest post

Patrizia's December 2021 guest post)

This year, like every year, has been incredibly busy but in a different way. I have reached a different level in my art business. I have established my name and my reputation; I have a steady base of collectors that garner my time.  I’ve been invited by the British school here at SHAPE to teach art lessons.  I’m the SHAPE Performing Art Center resident artist.  Painting theater stages is new to me. Trust me, painting wood to look like wood is more challenging than one would think.

So, what is new?  I did something crazy this year and stopped all social media. No Instagram. No Facebook. No email campaigns. I have enough work to keep me busy and keep me painting every day.  I had to stop advertising in order to grow with new orders. I’m aware that this sounds crazy, but the truth is that I went into hiding from potential new customers. I have spent five years building my customer base and established some loyal collectors. It finally paid off. This was my year to focus on them.

I have been traveling a lot, especially on the weekends. Our family is currently stationed in Belgium, a central European location that makes travel to France or Germany or the Netherlands just a day trip away.   I have been taking it all in… the scenery, the culture, the people and the places.  The historic buildings form in my mind as future collections and new ideas.  My sketch pad has very few pages left.  This has also been a family time. While my husband has been TDY ALLOT, the focus has been on my two small children, first grader and soon to be one year old.  

Whether walking among the tulips of Keukenhof, watching horses pull shrimp nets on the Belgian coast, admiring the white cliff of Dover from France,  passing by row after row of Olive trees in Crete, or  walking through a park along the Thames river in London, I take it all in the way artists see the world: colors, lines,  and inspiration.  My sketch book is nearly full, my mind is open and my heart is at peace.  

The military life can be hard.  While my husband is not at war, it takes him away from the family.  For those of you out there in similar situations, I understand and can empathize with the challenges that come with military service. 

Best, Patrizia.