Exploring neurodiversity through abstraction: looking at Pat Rollston’s work
Patrick Rollston is a Visual Art student at the Queensland College of Art and Design (QCAD) and an emerging painter. In our talk, we discussed his choice of mediums, his practice, and the looming challenges he may face as he breaks into the art world.
Q: From my interviews with other artists, I’m always so curious to know what made you kind of choose painting as a medium over other forms of art expression? Is there a reason why you’re drawn to painting?
Pat:
I’d say painting’s just a more traditional form. I just picked it and ran with it, but it is interesting, I’ve been exploring different mediums. I’ve used concrete before and aluminium. But my main one is painting because, I don’t know, I have this theory where if you can’t fit it into full…like a canvas, there’s no other way to do it.
Q: And in your paintings, you mainly use oils rather than acrylics, was this just because you stuck with it also?
Pat:
Yeah, the texture it achieves and the amount of pigment in it allows you to really easily work with it. It’s not like acrylic where, particularly when it dries, it goes a little bit darker, I think, with acrylic. Whereas oils, they just keep that one colour, and that’s good.
Q: Your work shifts between these abstract pieces to more composed works, could you tell me a bit more about them?
Pat:
I have, like, two different kinds of work. I have my mostly complete abstract works, which explore neurodiversity and that kind of stuff. I also have these portraits that I do. Most of them have been of Hunter S. Thompson, I’ve always found him intriguing... and I have been thinking about ways that I can really mix [these works] because I really enjoy painting abstract works, but not so much these portraits. And so if there’s a way I can combine the two, I think that’s where I’m gonna most likely lead into next with all my work. [But] I think it was, end of last year I got into [exploring] neurodiversity [in my work] ‘cause going through school, it’s a completely different experience to everyone else. You don’t really fit in and you’re trying to work yourself out. A lot of artists explore their culture or who they are and so on, so to me [being] neurodivergent is who I am.
Q: AI-generated art has been a major concern to the art world in the last couple of years, do you ever worry about the ever-increasing likeness it has to the real thing?
Patrick:
I guess… when you look at a piece of art, you don’t want it to be some AI-generated thing, you know what I mean? That’s partly why I put textures in my work, is because AI can’t do that. I think for work to actually come from a human’s brain is a lot more meaningful, and I think it’s, there’s something comforting about it, cause usually, art talks about things that other people go through as well. And so you kind of like, figure things out but… if it’s AI, it’s kind of, once it’s typed in by a person, it’s not like carefully thought out. There’s no labour.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced navigating the art world so far as an emerging artist?
Pat:
I think trying to understand how the art world works, even with filmmaking or drama, it’s not like having a nine-to-five job where you’ve got the business and you’ve got like a tier system of a company. I mean, there is a hierarchy in the art world but it’s just everyone gets there in different and strange ways.
Connect with Pat:
Instagram: @patrollston