Patrick Coffaro

A printer and painter, Patrick Coffaro is best known for his multicolored monoprints and mixed-media collages of the Southwestern desert. His signature works incorporate “chine colle,” a method of coloring and bonding layers of paper utilizing inks, varnish, and the pressure of a printing press. But today he is mainly working with mixed media and oil on canvas.

Born in 1941 in Chicago, Illinois, he studied at the Chicago Art Institute and the American Art Academy but considers himself self-taught in the details of his printmaking. Originally working primarily with monoprints of still lifes, he found his style when he began to allow spontaneity and “dabbling around” to direct him, painting in oils and creating landscapes, as well. Color has played a primary role in Coffaro’s growth as an artist. “I used to work very bland, very subdued, all earth tones. Everything was quiet. I started working with louder colors surprisingly by accident. I played around with some real bright colors that were laid out on a palette that I had. I guess that kicked it all off.”

Patrick’s work is represented in Arizona by Wilde Meyer Galleries. Click on any piece to enlarge it.