Artist-in-Residence Andrew focuses on his work at his centrally-located studio at Blue Q.
Three days a week Andrew LaPatin, the “Artist in Residence” at the Pittsfield company Blue Q, sometimes stays in the painting studio Blue Q made for him without taking a break for hours straight.
“He’s an artist’s artist,” said Mitch Nash, a Blue Q founder. Set up smack in the middle of the working area of the warehouse, Nash says “Andrew is part of the company’s culture. All the activity buzzes around him.”
It all started when Blue Q paid Andrew for a piece he painted that featured Blue Q socks. He hasn’t left since. “He’s warm, smart and adored by everyone,” says Nash “And we enjoy watching him create.”
While Andrew’s topics are wide ranging, he has a series on baseball fields, recently finishing a model of Wahconah Park, which follows an Andrew-styled rendition of Fenway Park.
“I like to paint everything,” he says without looking up from his work. His strokes are distinct, and he uses a methodical grid to maintain proportion, a system he taught himself. “It’s very calming.”
Andrew works on his Fenway Park painting.
Before the pandemic, he and his mother had an eye toward showing Andrew’s collection in a gallery. While that concept is on hold, and Blue Q closed for a period, it hasn’t stopped his art work from moving forward.
Andrew lives in BCArc’s co-ops, where he shares an apartment with Brian. There, along with painting, Andrew cooks—he googles recipes–from his own apartment, volunteers in the community, and works part-time at the child care center 18 Degrees.
“I know his mood by the colors he’s using that day, and the texture he chooses,” says BCArc Employer Services trainer Stephanie Orestil, who works with Andrew. “For instance, you can clearly see the brighter spots on his paintings.” She notes that he enjoys living in the Co-ops, and has a goal of one day moving out on his own. “His mother is very supportive and helps him hit all his goals.”
“I’ve been learning a lot through my paintings, from living alone, from making my own food, and from my work in the community,” says Andrew. “I can’t imagine I’ll ever stop painting.”
This painting hangs in BCArc’s Training Center.
