Pati Hill

A Pati Hill Portrait

Illustrations, Projects Series

My friend Richard reminded me that today is Pati’s birthday. Had Pati Hill not departed life here in 2014 she would be 99 years old…!

Richard Torchia, who is Arcadia University’s art gallery director, had discovered the genius of Pati’s art around the time that her book “Letters to Jill” was published. In his present capacity as curator to her artistic legacy, Richard recently secured an exhibition of Pati’s works at the Kunstverein München in Munich, Germany. 

And due to my friendship with Pati Hill I am honored to have as a friend her invaluable assistant, Nicole. For the past six years, dear Nicole has given me extraordinary mementos of photographs and art and more… The sketch below was rendered from a photo of Pati, wherein she sits within a window of her home in Yonne, France. 

“Pati Hill”
9″ x 12″

 

Yacht Pajamas by Edward Molyneux, 1934

Projects Series

My interest in designer Edward Molyneux [b. 1891, d. 1974] was ignited by my friendship with Pati Hill. Before Pati’s death in 2014, I had only known that she once modeled for fashion magazines and French ateliers back in the 1940s… I must credit my friends Nicole and Richard in their very thorough research done for the exhibition catalog: “Pati Hill: Photocopier”

In 1919, British born Molyneux established himself in Paris. Many of his clients later became globally known fashion icons.  Finding photos depicting Molyneux designed clothing isn’t easy – however I rather liked this ensemble found in a d’Ora studio shot [the model, unknown] from 1934.

A sketch and watercolor taken from a d'Ora 1934 photo of a model wearing nautical theme pajamas.

 

Dreams Objects Moments by Pati Hill

Brushwork, Graphic

Pati Hill. Such a small name for a woman whose artistic and literary works were so varied and unusually sublime. In 1976, Pati had published a book [with the help of Kornblee Gallery] entitled “Dreams Objects Moments”. And while she had been a remarkable friend to me throughout my life, I hadn’t really delved all that deeply into many of her creative accomplishments up until this past decade. Within this particular book, I was especially taken with this quote – which I painted and lettered, freehand:

From Pati Hill's "Dreams Objects Moments"

Inspired by Pati Hill’s “Dreams Objects Moments”