Making your name as a young, up-and-coming artist is not easy in any city, let alone Baton Rouge. Yet Patrick Tiek is doing just that on the strengths of his striking pop art and reclaimed woodwork that adorns the walls of galleries and shops around town, as well as his frequent appearances at popular live painting events.
The 26-year-old gained fans locally with vibrant paintings of pop culture icons on found pieces of wood he nails together. In July, he won third place at Art Melt for one of his works.
Although he has been painting from a young age, he discovered his affinity for using these handmade canvases just a few years ago while working on a construction site. He got the idea to bring some wood scraps home and craft them into canvases, and the response he got from interested art buyers was “night and day,” he says.