Thursday Artist Talk: PJ Patten - About the Creation of Graphic Novels

Tickets

Cost: Free

Surrey Art Gallery Association kicks off 2020 with a fresh season of Thursday Artist Talks, starting with PJ Patten’s “About the Creation of Graphic Novels” on January 9. The talk takes place at Surrey Art Gallery from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Admission is free, all ages are welcome.

At his talk, Patten will share the artistic process behind his graphic novel Tower25, an illustrated memoir detailing a period of homelessness in Patten’s life after a decade of drug addiction. An autobiographical account of his time living on a beach in Southern California as a young man, the book depicts his inner struggle, how he overcame various obstacles, and how he ultimately came out stronger and built a new life. He will discuss some of his personal life events, as well as the larger role journal comics played in his healing and recovery from addiction and personal trauma.

About the Artist:
PJ Patten is a graphic novelist, visual artist, tattoo artist, and writer based in New Westminster. He is the author and illustrator of Tower25 (Cloudscape Comics, 2020), a graphic novel recounting his experience with drug addiction and homelessness. Born in Japan and raised in Huntington Beach, California, PJ draws his inspiration from the ancient Japanese art of Haiga and the skate/surf/punk culture of Southern California. He first started his art by designing images for skateboards and surfboards. He then spent 10 years living at a remote Buddhist temple, where he apprenticed in lost wax and sand-casting methods for bronze casting, and in traditional and modern bookbinding methods.
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