James Hollins Patrick Biography

View Art by James Hollins Patrick

James Patrick (1911-1944), Born: Cranbrook, British Columbia; Studied at Chouinard Art Institute (Los Angeles); Member: California Water Color Society. James Patrick grew up in Southern California and attended high school in Hollywood. In the late 1920s, he received a three-year scholarship to study at the Chouinard Art Institute.

During the 1930s and 1940s, he was considered an important figure in the development of the California Style. His paintings were exhibited with the California Water Color Society as well as many juried and one-man shows both locally and nationally. In 1942, he served as the California Water Color Society’s president.

After graduation, James Patrick taught figure drawing and landscape painting at the Chouinard Art Institute. He often took groups of students to various locations in the Los Angeles area and taught them to do spontaneous watercolor paintings of local city scenes. He also worked on several large mural projects at various times with Millard Sheets, David Sisqueiros, and Leo Katz. In the mid 1930’s to 1942 he was color director for the Charles Mintz Studios (eventually the cartoon division of Columbia Pictures). He was color director of final release prints for Technicolor Studios as well, working on such classics as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs & Pinocchio.

During World War II he worked in collaboration with Phil Paradise producing a book for the United States Army Air Corps on the art, detection and recognition of camouflage. He and Paradise served as civilian instructors for the Air Corps as well, training fledgling bombardiers in aerial target recognition and concealment deduction. In addition he was assigned "Chief Camoufleur" by the Western Defense Command for the Pacific Coast. He was tasked with the planning & concealment of all the facilities vital to the war effort that could possibly be targets for enemy attack.

Perhaps less known was that Patrick was a passionate print maker. He excelled in pre-printing techniques involved with producing lithographs and prepared his own stones. He produced a large number of limited editions on various subjects. His most illustrious is a suite of six lithographs of the "Native Trees of California" that were used as covers for WESTWAYS Magazine in 1940. "California Big Tree" and one other litho entitled "This is Your Enemy" are in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress.

Examples of Patrick’s art in mediums of oil, watercolor, and lithography are found today in private & museum collections across the nation. He was frequently invited to exhibit in many prestigious shows during his lifetime. Included are the Corcoran Institute of Washington, D.C., the Chicago Art Institute, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the National Gallery of Art of the Smithsonian Institution, American Water Color Society in New York, and the Riverside Museum. Considered a high tribute was that Dr. A. Avinoff, director of the Carnegie Museum, personally bought two of his watercolors.

For a career cut short in its prime he managed to create a fair representation of his talent and craft. Unfortunately while still in his prime, he succumbed to tuberculosis in December of 1944.

Biographical information:

His eldest son Ian M. Patrick

California Water Color Society (Catalogs)

Biography courtesy of California Watercolors 1850-1970,

©2002 Hillcrest Press, Inc.

 In his Studio

James Patrick -Exhibitions of his works

1931

Chouinard Fine Arts Gallery, Chouinard School of Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA

1932

Eleventh Annual Los Angeles County Fair Exhibition

of Art, Pomona, CA

One Man Show at Chouinard Fine Arts Gallery, Chouinard School of Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA

Seventy-eighth Annual State Fair, Sacramento, CA

1933

Sixth Annual State Wide Art Exhibit, Santa Cruz, CA

Seventh Annual Exhibition of California Art, San Diego, CA

Fourteenth Annual Exhibition of Painters & Sculptures, Los Angeles Museum, Exposition Park, LA, CA

Twelfth Annual Los Angeles County Fair Exhibition of Art, Pomona, CA

Seventy-ninth Annual State Fair, Sacramento, CA

1934

Seventh Annual State Wide Art Exhibition, Santa Cruz, CA

Pasadena Art Institute, Pasadena Academy of Fine Arts, CA

Eighth Annual Exhibition of California Art, San Diego, CA

California Watercolor Society Second Annual Matted Traveling Exhibition. (1934-1935)

Thirteenth Annual Los Angeles County Fair Exhibition of Art, Pomona, CA

Fourteenth Annual Exhibition of the California Watercolor Society, Los Angeles Museum, CA

1935

Sixteenth Annual Exhibition of Painters & Sculpture,

Los Angeles Museum, Exposition Park, LA, CA

Laguna Beach Art Association Exhibit, LB, CA

Fourteenth Annual Los Angeles County Fair Exhibition of Art, LA, CA

Third Annual Exhibition of California Modernists, Foundation of Western Art, Los Angeles, CA

Fifteenth Annual Exhibition of the California Watercolor Society, Los Angeles Museum, CA

1936

Laguna Beach Art Association Exhibit, LB, CA

The New York Water Color Club Forty-seventh Annual Exhibition, New York, NY

Ninth Annual State Wide Art Exhibition, Santa Cruz, CA

Seventeenth Annual Exhibition of Painters & Sculpture, Los Angeles Museum, Exposition Park, LA, CA

Independent Artists Exhibition of Graphic Arts & Photography, Los Angeles, CA

Fifteenth Year International Water Color Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, IL

Forty-third Annual Exhibition of American Art, Cincinnati Art Museum, OH

Eighty-second Annual State Fair, Sacramento, CA

Fifteenth Annual Los Angeles County Fair Exhibition of Art, LA, CA

Sixteenth Annual Exhibition of the California Watercolor Society, Los Angeles Museum, CA

Fourteenth Annual Exhibition of American Prints, The Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA

1937

Chouinard Fine Arts Gallery, Chouinard School of Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA

Sixteenth Year International Water Color Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, IL

Eighteenth Annual Exhibition of Painters & Sculpture,

Los Angeles Museum, Exposition Park, LA, CA

Ninth Annual Exhibition of Southern California Art, San Diego, CA

Fifth Annual Exhibition Watercolors Pastels Drawings & Prints, Oakland Art Gallery, CA

The Theodore B. Modera Memorial Exhibition of Art, Los Angeles County Fair, Pomona, CA

Eighty-third Annual State Fair, Sacramento, CA

Sixteenth Annual Los Angeles County Fair Exhibition of Art, Pomona, CA

Seventeenth Annual Exhibition of the California Watercolor Society, Los Angeles Museum, CA

One Man Show, Jake Zeitlin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

Fifth Annual Exhibition Trends in California Art, Foundation of Western Art, Los Angeles, CA

Fifth Annual Exhibition of California Water Colors,

Foundation of Western Art, Los Angeles, CA

1938

One Man Show at Chouinard Fine Arts Gallery, Chouinard School of Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA

Nineteenth Annual Exhibition of Painters & Sculpture,

Los Angeles Museum, Exposition Park, LA, CA

Seventeenth Year International Water Color Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, IL

Tenth Annual Exhibition of Southern California Art, San Diego, CA

Eighteenth Annual Exhibition of the California Watercolor Society, Los Angeles Museum, CA

Forty-fifth Annual Exhibition of American Art, Cincinnati Art Museum, OH

Eighty-fourth Annual State Fair, Sacramento, CA

Seventeenth Annual Los Angeles County Fair Exhibition of Art, Pomona, CA

California Watercolor Society Fourth Annual Matted Traveling Exhibition. (1938-1939)

Sixth Annual Exhibition of California Water Colors,

Foundation of Western Art, Los Angeles, CA

1939

Eighteenth Year International Water Color Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, IL

Sixth Annual Exhibition Trends in California Art, Foundation of Western Art, Los Angeles, CA

All California Exhibition Painting & Sculpture, Los Angeles Museum, CA

The Denver Art Museum Forty-fifth Annual Exhibition, Denver, CO

Eleventh Annual Exhibition of Southern California Art, San Diego, CA

Forty-sixth Annual Exhibition of American Art, Cincinnati Art Museum, OH

Eighty-fifth Annual State Fair, Sacramento, CA

Eighteenth Annual Los Angeles County Fair Exhibition of Art, Pomona, CA

Seventh Annual Exhibition Watercolors Pastels Drawings & Prints, Oakland Art Gallery, CA

Nineteenth Annual Exhibition of the California Watercolor Society, Los Angeles Museum, CA

Eighth Annual Exhibition Painting - Sculpture, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR

Seventh Annual Exhibition of California Water Colors,

Foundation of Western Art, Los Angeles, CA

One Man Show at Jake Zeitlin Galleries, Los Angeles, CA

1940

Seventh Annual Exhibition Trends in California Art, Foundation of Western Art, Los Angeles, CA

One Man Show at Chouinard Fine Arts Gallery, Chouinard School of Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA

One Man Show at The Art Barn, Salt Lake City, UT

Eighty-sixth Annual State Fair, Sacramento, CA

Nineteenth Annual Los Angeles County Fair Exhibition of Art, Pomona, CA

Twentieth Annual Exhibition of the California Watercolor Society, Los Angeles Museum, CA

Eighth Annual Exhibition of California Water Colors,

Foundation of Western Art, Los Angeles, CA

One Man Show at Jake Zeitlin Galleries, Los Angeles, CA

1941

Eighth Annual Exhibition Trends in California Art, Foundation of Western Art, Los Angeles, CA

National Gallery of Art, Exhibit of American Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.

University of Redlands Joint Exhibition of Oils, Watercolors, and Drawings., Redlands, CA

Los Angeles Art Association Exhibition of Water Colors by “Top Flight” Artists of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles National Art Week Exhibit, Los Angeles Museum of Fine Art, LA, CA

1942

One Man Show at Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, CA

One Man Show at the Palos Verdes Community Art Gallery, Palos Verdes, CA

“American Artists for Victory”, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Annual Exhibition of Prints & Drawings, San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco Museum of Art, Civic Center, San Francisco, CA

1943

National Exhibition of Prints by American Artists, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

“Tomorrow's Masterpieces”, Traveling Exhibition (1943-1944), Riverside Museum, New York, NY

Museum of Modern Art; United Hemisphere Poster Exhibit, New York, NY

1944

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY

Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce Annual Art Show, Ventura County, CA

Carnegie Institute; Painting in the United States Exhibition 1944, Pittsburgh, PA

Twenty-fourth Annual Exhibition of the California Watercolor Society, Los Angeles Museum, CA

1945

Thirty-eighth Annual Exhibition of American Paintings, City Art Museum of St. Louis, Forest Park, St. Louis, MO

Retrospective; The Art of James Patrick, Biltmore Art Galleries, Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles, CA

1948

San Pedro Third Annual Exhibition of California Art, San Pedro, CA

1949

One Man Show of Lithographs, Harris Company, Redlands, CA

1983

Artists for Victory, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

2005

California Style Watercolors 1930-1970, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA

2006

California Style Watercolors : Collector's Choice, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA

Murals for Pasadena High School-1932 thru 1934

Jimmie Patrick & Millard Sheets painted a total of three panels.

 

Second to be completed of three outdoor frescos which Millard Sheets and Jimmie Patrick are painting at the South Pasadena Junior High School. This strong panel is remarkable for its faithful portrayal of Southern California farms and farmland and its beauty, its color and design.

Watercolor Class-1932

 

Leo Katz Murals

 

James Patrick assisted Leo Katz in the creation and execution of the murals that Katz did between 1933 & 1935 at the Frank Wiggins Trade School in Los Angeles. He worked on them until June 1934. After that he worked full time at Charles Mintz Studios.

James Patrick and Charles Mintz

Back in 1940, James Patrick, one of the West’s most promising younger artists, did a series of six lithographs depicting native trees of California as a series of covers for WESTWAYS. Readers who recall his dramatic and forceful treatment of the “California Big Tree”, which appeared as the last of the series on the June, 1940, cover, will not be surprised to hear that it was selected to be shown in the First National Exhibition of prints by American artists held in Washington, D.C., last month.

Among the hundreds of etchings, woodblocks, aquatints and lithographs, “California Big Tree” was awarded Second Purchase prize and is to be permanently hung in the Library of Congress as part of the Pennell Collection.

Such an honor was not unusual for the versatile James Patrick. At 31 he has had watercolors, oils and prints accepted by the top shows in the United States and already has gained national recognition as a fine arts painter. Among his achievements have been an invitation to submit his work for exhibition in the Corcoran Institute at Washington D.C., paintings shown at the Chicago Institute, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the National Gallery of Art of the Smithsonian Institution, American Watercolor Society of New York, Riverside Museum and many other exhibitions of national importance. Probably the highest tribute to his artistry is the fact that Dr. A. Avinoff, director of the Carnegie Museum, personally bought two of his watercolors.

Here in the West, Patrick won recognition from both the critics and his fellow artists. Last year he served as President of the California Watercolor Society, and was instructor in figure drawing and landscape painting at Chouinard Art Institute. One of his watercolors recently won first prize at the Los Angeles Ebell salon of art, and he has shown in the San Diego Fine Arts Gallery and the Los Angeles and San Francisco museums.

But despite this recognition which has come to an artist just out of his twenties, young Patrick takes a deeper pride in the work he has been doing since Pearl Harbor – a job that has not resulted in art jury awards but one which has made a sizable contribution to the war effort. Along with Phil Paradise, another outstanding Western artist, he brought his talents to the planning division of the Office of Civilian Defense and was assigned by the Western Defense Command to plan aerial camouflage for the Pacific Coast. When this job was completed the two artists were assigned to the Army Air Force as civilian instructors to conduct courses in target recognition and concealment deduction for fledgling bombardiers.

World War II with its emphasis on air power has given the artist a most important functional role. Because of his knowledge of color and his sharper sense of visual alertness, the fine arts painter has become as essential in this “all-out” war as the man with the gun. This knowledge that he is “doing a job” and that his craft has been able to make a contribution along with the soldier, sailor, marine and war worker in this fight, has meant more to James Patrick and his fellow artists than the raves of the critics or public acclaim.

For the duration, at least, the output from his easel and stone will be diminished. When it’s all over James Patrick will return to his chosen career with the same earnestness and determination with which he is tackling Uncle Sam’s bombardiers. And if he continues with his pre-war pace he’s better than an even bet to wind up in California’s artistic hall of fame. – W.K.B.

L.A. Harbor Model

 

Scale Diorama Model of the L.A. Harbor with camouflage in place and faux oil storage facilities showing. This was incomplete when this photograph was taken, and after completion it was never implemented. The ones that Patrick designed for Seattle and Portland however were installed and used during the war (WWII). These dioramas were kept in a two-car garage next to dad’s studio on Rome Drive in LA. At the end of the war they were destroyed, with dad taking an axe to them. He gave me many of the little trains, buildings and ships and I promptly lost them playing with them out in the grass over a short period of time. I would give anything for them now. He shortly after succumbed to tuberculosis he had contracted while working for the US Government. In those days all the airstrips were dirt, so in taking off and landing, which he frequently did while working on camouflage, he inhaled copious quantities of dust. This eventually led to him contracting this disease. Being a workaholic and committed to excellence, he did not take care of himself very well, and in the end the disease killed him.

Eldest son: Ian Patrick 2/9/05

James Patrick - 1941