Oliver Pattison

documentary photography

art community in Colorado Springs

This is an ongoing project started in 2023, featuring collaboration and creativity among artists in Colorado Springs.

a painter’s hand applying white paint to a mural with splashes of red, blue and orange in the background

a rack of screen printing frames at Groovy Print Shop

the mesh grid of a blue screen printing frame, lit up in a dark room

detail of a manual screen printing press in use, primary colors of blue and yellow

a manual screen printing press, primary colors of blue and yellow, with paint cans in the background of the studio

the moment of impact as a blacksmith’s hammer hits a piece of iron

a moving power hammer working on a piece of glowing orange metal

portrait in motion of a blacksmith, David Bradley, hitting an iron rod

molten iron in a dark gray oven, glowing bright orange

a piece of metal being shaped into an S pattern, like a snake

tools in a blacksmith’s workshop, bright red, yellow, and blue

wide view of a mural in progress by Molly McClure, a brook trout on a blue background

mural painter Molly McClure paints details on a boldly colored large-scale mural

detail of a boldly colored large-scale mural of a brook trout fish

painting materials, on a platform for a large-scale mural painting, mountains and sky in the background

an iPad covered in paint, on a platform for a large-scale mural painting

a mural painter, Molly McClure, reviewing work on a mural on an iPad

a protective painter’s canvas covered in many colors of paint, used for murals by Molly McClure

view of a mural artist from the ground looking up at the sky, mural in progress

detail of a mural in progress, green background with flowers

wide view of a mural in progress in downtown Colorado Springs by Molly McClure, from across the street

two people kissing, sillhouetted by the light of a projector, at Fine Arts Center

motion blur shot of microphone and hands using hand-made instruments at a performance event, high contrast

motion blurred movement of Jasmine Dillavou in a white translucent dress performing with hand-made instruments at a low table

a person’s hand placing dried flowers on white cloth as a part of a decoration for a performance, monochromatic

an empty bottle with arranged dry flowers, lit up from behind within a performing arts set, monochrome

close up of two people moving their hands together in unison while collaborating, smiling

five people crowded around a microphone on a low table, using hand-made instruments at a performance event

a person focused at work in a darkroom for screen printing at Groovy Print Shop

applying paint to a screen for a shirt at a screen printing shop

a finished print of a shirt during a screen printing process, black and white, sunlit

The three themes for the project are:

spaces, events, and focal points of activity where artists meet and build community,
emerging artists (including artists who are new to their craft or business, people with novel or bold artistic ideas that haven’t yet reached a larger audience, and artists from marginalized or underrepresented communities such as LGBTQ+ and BIPOC folks), and
people and organizations who serve as community connectors, using their time and resources to help other artists with growth and inspiration.

In addition to photography, I plan to do deeper storytelling and feature the words of artists and community organizers. I am open to other forms it could take, such as including contributions from others, and incorporating media like audio, video, print, or maps.