Inspired by her children’s ability to tell stories using color, Patricia Rapp is a self-taught Florida based artist who uses her art to question and express her perceptions of the world as she navigates connections in her own relationships. 
Since when do you paint and what are your favorite motives?
I started making art when my children were young and we would test out markers and paints to use. I created an art area for them and loved watching their quiet process to determine color and connection. My work began in an effort to return to my own place of intuitive choices without fear or judgment. Small scraps of work turned into paper then turned into canvas. Ironically, the more I painted, the more I judged myself. I realized that my art is a reflection of my heart and the pieces I enjoy the most, offer the most genuine representations of it.
When you create a new work, how do you proceed? What comes first?
The colors always come first. I am inspired by a conversation or a glance while driving. I combine colors as they speak to me. They change so much based on how they are arranged together. They tell their own story. I like to take out my sketchbook and lay down paint, slowly adding until the colors feel right. Next, I play with different lines and textures using different mediums such as pastels, gelatos and charcoal. I experiment with contrasts and compliments until I get the balance I want. When it feels complete, I add the canvas. In the end, my sketchbook tells just as much of the color story as the canvas does.
From what do you get your motivation?
So many artists talk about art feeding their souls and how it brings them joy. For me, art creates a safe space to feel and my own timing to express it. I am someone who has big strong emotions and have learned to give myself the space to be with them. Art is a way for me to spend time processing everything I experience on canvas in a beautiful way. My work is a culmination of layers that parallel my relationships with others and with myself. 
Your life without art would be...
... less complicated. Art is a portal to access all of the parts of myself that I want and need to explore but that can feel overwhelming. Then I am making the decision to put the most vulnerable parts of myself out there for the world to see. If any part of me is uncertain about my own perceptions, adding others into the mix certainly doesn’t simplify the situation. And yet, I find the experience enchanting. I love the idea that the artist and viewer can find connection without ever meeting.
What's the best art venue in your city right now?
I am a docent at our local art museum which is fascinating because adults sometimes have very strong opinions on how art should be presented. Do you focus on the elements of art or only on accomplished artists? For me, it is less about dates and styles and more about examining our own responses and connection to the work. Does this piece make you feel or think something or nothing at all? If the average person spends 3 seconds looking at a piece of artwork, how does our perception of it change if we spend 3 minutes or 30? Does understanding the artist’s intentions change our value of it? That is what I am interested in. I want people to question and go beyond what they think they are suppose to say and feel.
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