Over the course of 13 years, this artist pair have created art transcendent through their collaboration. In this interview, you discover how their bond began and why collaboration with another has served their their growth and work.

Patricia Bossange X Tom Hill

13 years of artistic collaboration

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Patricia Bossange X Tom Hill 13 years of artistic collaboration 〰️

Get ready to delve into the artist process of Patricia Bossange and her unique collaborative journey with nature photographer Tom Hill. Their remarkable 13-year partnership has served as a template for inspiration for Patricia’s stunning paintings and is a testament to their creative synergy.

Discover the intricacies of their dynamic collaboration and the intriguing origins of their partnership by reading this exclusive ARTYPANTS MAG interview.

INTERVIEW:

APM: Hi Patricia, It’s very cool to discover you have been painting from the source of Tom’s nature photographs. Can you share the story of how your connection with Tom began, and could you recall the first piece you created based on one of his photographs?

PB: Tom and I met sophomore year in high school, when he sat next to me in Mrs. Doyle’s Social Studies class. We also played in the orchestra together. After graduation, we did not connect again until our class set up a reunion Facebook page and I realized he had had a remarkable career in the ensuing thirty years, in addition to being an amazing nature photographer. (Oh - he had always been a photography nerd in high school, having his own dark room in his house.) Coincidentally, I had just begun studying painting in oils with the great Carol O’Malia, and couldn’t wait to translate some of Tom’s birds and landscapes into paint to see what I could do with them. I think the first time I used one of Tom’s photos as a reference was my painting, “Sulu’s Midway Tern I,” which is an oil painting using an egg emulsion medium. (“Sulu” is Tom’s Air Force call sign.)

APM: Tom, Do you ever photograph something and anticipate it is something that Patricia would want to paint?

TH: I only recently—in the last ten years—thought about what Patti might like to paint while out shooting. We’ve known each other for decades—we went to High School together 40 years ago. But, we hadn’t really started doing anything together until I already had a large portfolio of images and mostly had a process for making what I liked. I think us working together started when she perused my website about a decade ago and picked a few images she wanted to paint. Since, I’ve occasionally thought about how a particular shooting setup would work for Patti and her work, particularly if what I’m doing aligns with what she’s done in the past. However, I mostly shoot what I like. If there’s something I make that inspires her for a painting, all the better. I do know Patti is very discerning and knows what she likes. Many times, what she likes is not what I shoot. For example, one of my passions is shooting landscape astrophotography. This is basically landscape photography with a very large astronomical feature in the composition. Even though I find the genre extremely fascinating, Patti hasn’t felt the inspiration to turn one of these images into a painting.

APM: Is there inherent value in artists seeking collaboration with their peers? In your experience, how would you suggest artists, whether they're emerging talents or well-established, go about building a sense of community and collaboration that not only benefits their individual growth but also nurtures a mutually beneficial relationship with fellow artists?

TH: This is a great question. I think collaboration can be extremely valuable for all artists. My belief is active connections to other views or sources of inspiration are very influential to artists and are necessary to “keep things fresh.” That said, early in my career being a nature photographer I spent a lot of time on forums reading what others did and posting my own work. After a few years doing that, I began to understand these types of superficial connections were no substitute for really deep active interactions. In the superficial relationship/interactions, I found there wasn’t much opportunity for learning creative techniques. The interactions tended to be more technical than abstract. The result was most of the imagery in these forums tended to be very similar. The technical competence was excellent. But, the quality of the artistry was low in my view. In the latter, more deep situations I think more knowledge, if not wisdom, is nurtured between participants. Like any learning, deeper understanding results in better ability.

PB: One of my favorite quotes is by E.M. Forster: “Only connect.” Therefore, my new mantra has become: seek connection and you will find connection. Seek division and you will find that, too. But let’s all focus on connection, for now. The world needs it, for goodness’ sake! That said, what I hope I do when I use Tom’s work as a starting point, and what I hope all artists do when they collaborate and communicate, is add to the creative dialogue. Rather than just copying his brilliant work, I hope I am making something new and different. For example, I actually hope he DOESN’T think of me when he is shooting something, as it’s his own inspiration that inspires ME. And, there are certainly photos of his that are too beyond perfect for me to touch. There is simply nothing I could do to, as I say, add to the dialogue. I am thinking of his landscape astrophotography and one particular albatross photo. The bird is casting its eyes down in a gentle rain. It is just the loveliest thing and, though I would love to tackle it, I want to let it stand as it is.

APM:

Thank you for offering insights into your collaborative journey for our readers. As we conclude, is there any parting wisdom, memorable anecdotes, or valuable life and art lessons you'd like to share with our audience?

TH: I think some artists are reticent to seek out, if not actively deny, collaboration with other artists, the thinking being good creative ideas might be lost to the other artist, thus losing some sort of edge. I disagree with that perspective. I do acknowledge all relationships are not created equal. Good collaborative relations will more likely create better outcomes than going it alone. This is true not only with art, but just about anything that’s worth doing. I think this type of relationship is fundamental to the concept of emergence and creating unexpected wonders.

PB: My painting teacher Carol is always encouraging me to look at other people’s work. It’s inspiring, if nothing else. It gets me to think about how I could do things differently. I also want to say: Art is for EVERYONE. And when anyone tells me they can’t draw a straight line, I respond that I can’t either, that’s why I use a ruler to draw straight lines. I tell them they just haven’t found their medium yet. Everyone is creative in their own way. In addition, it’s as much about hard work and passion as it is about “talent.” I struggle with that word sometimes. Everything I have ever achieved in music and art has been the result of my love for those disciplines and working hard at them BECAUSE I love them so much. And thank you, as always, Tom, for your generosity.

Patricia Bossange

Patricia Bossange is an artist working in Framingham, MA. She has shown pieces at 60 Nobscot Gallery, Amazing Things Arts Center, the Duxbury Art Complex Museum and Duxbury Art Association, Access Framingham, Concord Center for the Visual Arts, the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, and the Zullo Gallery in Medfield. She is currently focusing on oil painting but also works in other media such as acrylic, pastel, ink, and pencil, as well as collages with made with strips of paper. She studies with Carol O’Malia in Westwood, MA. She sells her works via her website, patriciabossange.com, and by commission.

You can view Patricia’s art in Issue 01 of APM, or via @pbossange, website: patriciabossange.com

Tom Hill

Tom Hill lives in Southern New Mexico where he works as a photographer and engineer. He primarily does nature photography, shooting landscape, wildlife, and bird subjects.  His art contributes to his professional life by providing foundational tools that lead to visualizing structure and beauty within complex chaotic systems or scenes.  Tom’s work can be viewed on his website:  hill.photography