February 2008

This pastel drawing is called "Wild Irish Rose."

Pat Gallagher is just this much closer to getting his “license to be a little weird.” The former Main Liner who now lives in Kentucky is parlaying his penchant for doodling into a fulltime art career. In the past year, he’s achieved notable success:

He did a one-man show at the home of former Philadelphia 76ers’ coach Larry Brown.

He’s currently on a cross-country tour (called “From the Outside Looking In”), bringing his paintings not only to art galleries but to the livingrooms of high-rolling art lovers in Atlanta, Miami, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Boston.

On Derby day in Louisville, that will be Gallagher, the Ardmore-born son of Irish immigrants, drawing his heart out in “Millionaires’ Row” (“where the Queen was last year,” he points out).

Starting February 1, he’s having a month-long one-man show at the gallery at Advanced Medical Solutions, 52 Oakland Avenue in Doylestown, where you can see a little art, get a little acupuncture.

In March, one of his canvases (he works in pastels, pen and ink, and Sharpie) will be part of the WMGK Classic Rock Art Show to benefit Bon Jovi’s Soul Moving Experience charity, which sends needy kids to Soul games.

And he’s gotten the ultimate compliment. “I was going to a frou-frou event and I asked the person running it what I should wear. She said, ‘You’re the artist. You can wear whatever you want.’ And I’m like , that is so cool. I have a license to be a little weird. I like that! People always considered me a little quirky and now that’s okay because I’m an artist.”

Gallagher, who is self-taught, needed a push from the unseen powers of the universe to discover the artist inside. It first came from a New York art dealer who saw Gallagher in his usual artist mode, sitting in a bar with a glass of Woodford Reserve bourbon in front of him, doodling on an art pad. “He told me my style was like Henri Matisse and I said, ‘Who’s that?’ I had one art class in high school and I got a D. But he convinced me that I had talent worth exploring.”

Since then, he’s had a painting on loan to a Louisville art museum, invitations for exhibits and art shows, and at least one appreciative nod from an art world legend. Gallagher recalls meeting noted sports painter Leroy Neiman at an event in Kentucky and, of course, the conversation turned to art. “He happened to see a picture of mine called ‘Sisters’ on my phone and he interrupted me. He said, ‘Sorry, but whose work is that?’ I said it was mine. He said, ‘Really?’ And he asked me, ‘Is this your main form of expression?’ I said it was my only form of expression besides talking and I’m really good at that. He reached out and shook my hand and said, ‘It’s really a pleasure to meet you.”

Unlike many neophyte artists, Gallagher’s talent isn’t just for creating art that spawns an emotional connection between himself and the viewer (he’s actually had one prospective buyer burst into tears looking at one of his canvases). He’s a funny, friendly guy who knows how to market himself. He’s convinced the makers of Woodford Reserve bourbon to provide the alcohol for his home showcases and sent complimentary art work to prospective patrons (like Larry Brown’s wife) to encourage them to sponsor an event. Ultimately, it’s the artwork that clinches the deal, but it’s Gallagher’s Irish charm that first opens the door.

But it’s not about the money. Well, it is, but not so Gallagher and his wife Trisha can live in a McMansion and own a Saab apiece. The man who has spent his life in the business arena has finally found his calling and he’d like to spend his life heeding it.

“Before I found the art, I always felt like an outsider,” he confesses. “Back when I was hanging around Villanova, even at family get-togethers, I always had these crazy insecurities. But with the artwork, I feel like this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Weird things keep happening that encourage me to keep at it. And I’ve never been as remotely as happy as I am. When I’m pissed off, I paint. When I’m happy, I paint. When I’m bored, I paint.”

In fact, the only time he doesn’t paint is when his wife is worried. “Trisha has always been supportive, but she’s a military brat and she’s all about structure and plans,” he says. “I’ve learned this: If my wife is nervous or concerned about our stability, I can’t paint. If she’s feeling good, I’m painting like crazy. I hate that she has this over me, but she has. If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. My paintings are true love stories, because between her and I, that’s what this is.”

He admits that what he’s looking for now are his own Medicis, the Florence family who supported leading Renaissance artists such as Botticelli, Michaelangelo, and DaVinci. “If I had a backer I could storm the world!” he laughs.

But, like a true artist, Gallagher knows it’s ultimately not about the money. “If I never sell another painting, it’s what I’m going to do every day,” he says. “I recently told my mother, God forbid I was to croak, I would die a happy man. Of course, we’re morbid family, obsessed with death. What can I say?” He laughs again. “We’re Irish.”

To see more of Pat Gallagher’s work, visit his website.

“From the Outside Looking In,” a one-man show, will be at the gallery at Advanced Medical Solutions, 52 Oakland Avenue, Doylestown, PA (215-348-4002) the entire month of February. On Friday, February 1, meet the artist at a reception that starts at 6:30 PM.