Patrick Wilkins – Fun Isn’t Fun Anymore

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June 16th – July 28th, 2018

Paintings by Patrick Wilkins

Fresh from a successful group exhibition at Chicago’s Heaven Gallery, Patrick Wilkins, a recent MFA recipient in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, will be mounting his first solo exhibition at Leon on June 16th, 2018.


The exhibition will run for six weeks from June 16th, through July 28th, 2018, and will feature a wide variety of paintings created by the artist over the past two years. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, June 16th, from 7-11pm.

The focus of Wilkins’ work is the expression of stress and anxiety that comes from leading two very different lives: holding down blue collar jobs and being a painter. Wilkins utilizes a formal painting language and cartoon imagery to create and unstable cacophony of patterns, colors, and marks. Adding to the compositions, he collages found objects, drawings, and craft materials into his work. The results have a bright and playful façade that upon further inspection reveals a contradictory critical content. Although the final result may be seen as a compromise, there is both a clashing discordance and a unifying harmony to be found in his deft balancing act.


Patrick Wilkins was born in Wiesbaden, Germany and grew up in Elkhart, Indiana. He earned his BA in Painting and Printmaking at Purdue University, and his MFA in Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He currently lives and paints in Chicago, Illinois.

Photo Credit: Amanda Tipton Photography