Showcasing Patricia Ackor, Artist

Graduated from Syracuse University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, I spent seven years as a professional Interior Designer in the Washington, D.C. area, before opening my own weaving studio. There, for four years, I created one-of-a-kind wall hangings, tapestries, window treatments, light fixtures, yardage and other ideas/designs that could be hand-woven for interior design firms and individual clients. 

In 1976 I moved to Southern California with the intention of continuing my weaving career but became side-tracked by a "temporary" part-time job which became full-time and lasted 13 years, as well as other pursuits. 

In the late 1990s, requiring an outlet for my creative energies, I returned to my original passion, art, teaching myself watercolor and wildlife portraiture.

Retiring from the full-time workforce in 2007, I moved to Tucson, Arizona.

I've been painting in oil since I was five years old and won a Grumbacher oil painting set as first prize in a TV kids' show contest, with my crayon drawing of a castle.

During my final two years of college, I added loom weaving to my creative tools. Tapestry was learned from books because I needed that challenging technique to fill commissions at my new weaving studio. Watercolor and colored pencil/pastel were the last, and most recent additions. 

In painting and drawing, my style is realistic; some have called my pieces photo-realism but I've never used projection or any type of device; my work is all done free-hand.

When weaving, I use impressionistic or abstract designs. If you see something in my Creative Weavings Gallery that strikes your fancy, but the size or colors are wrong for your application, please contact me. Changes and adjustments are always possible.

My gallery of stitched pieces, technically called crewel work, because they are done with mostly wool yarns instead of cotton embroidery yarns, are my images of scenes from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (many years pre-Peter Jackson's vision). 

Greatly influenced by the oil paintings of Thomas Moran, above (1837-1926), and the contemporary watercolorist, Nita Engle (1926-2019), my subjects have always been taken from Mother Nature. She has created the images; I attempt to interpret them on paper and canvas as well as with fiber.