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Patrick Rowan was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 7, 1937. He received his BS degree in Building Construction, B.F.A. in Painting, and M.S. in Painting, all from the University of Wisconsin before receiving his M.F.A. in Sculpture from the University of Florida. Rowan spent four years as an architectural designer before he turned to the visual arts, becoming Associate Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1971 and Professor in 1994. His work consists mainly of wood, canvas, and paint assemblages.
“My legacy appears as a collection of hand-carved, wood, life-size ancestral figures, spirit sculptures, in a state of suspended withdrawal, combined with related architectural elements. These male images represent the patriarchal, living-death memories of my Irish Catholic heritage. Visions of death and leaving, anger, fear and guilt, isolation and alienation—addressing and celebrating god.”
“The sculptural installations present personal revelations, interpretations, and supplications based in a variety of traditional biblical themes. The figurative sculptures have emerged as a spiritual metamorphosis of the architectural columns. The vision attempts to express the relationship between god and man, where the present disappears in anticipation of the future, and memories of the living dead revenge against time.”
“I have spent the better part of my life searching for these images. I hope to spend the rest of my life creating and sharing my legacy.”
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