In this continuing series, we are delighted to introduce you to two more of Concord’s gifted artists. We hope that you’ll explore Concord’s many galleries, exhibitions, live performances, studios, classes, and more this fall. 

Patti Ganek

Patti’s paintings of semi-abstract florals and seascapes seem as if they were created spontaneously from the ether of her imagination. Patti’s relaxed, beautiful flowers, vases, ocean water, and rock are based on years of study and practice.

Patti fell in love with painting as a child at a sleep-away camp in Maine, finding her way to the designated art shack and instructor who became an outstanding guide. Her teacher asked the girls to paint anything they saw and were drawn to and, in doing so, he built their confidence in their vision and ability to render what they saw. This experience sparked a lifelong love of painting that persists today.

At American University, she majored in education and minored in art, but her career in art cut a wider path for Patti. She studied watercolor, drawing, and working with a variety of papers in mixed media. Patti later immersed herself in the techniques of acrylic and oil while continuing to develop her distinct voice as an artist.

Patti paints every day and says this is what pulled her through the most challenging times of Covid. She loves to paint loosely and freely, but she also gives a large nod to her excellent training in composition, drawing, and color theory. As Patti says, she “loves to paint with a sense of joie de vivre with an underpinning of good solid structure.”  pattiganek.com

Lyca Blume

Lyca grew up in Tokyo, Japan, and completed her undergraduate degree at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Lyca originally began her art career in illustration and painting, but her thesis was an installation piece featuring photography and printing techniques. She discovered her love and aptitude for working in mixed media because, as she says, “mixed media can adapt to a variety of projects depending on what that project asks for.”

Upon graduation, Lyca had a massive student loan, like many young people in America today, and found employment in the food industry. A chance meeting with an established artist led her to take a post as the artist’s studio assistant, which Lyca found engaging and inspiring. She then re-directed her art career into the medium of collage, realizing after working with her mentor that painting or collage could be sculptural or three-dimensional.

Today, Lyca holds the position of gallery manager at Three Stones Gallery in Concord. Currently, her creative expression focuses on one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces made from unique beads, pendants, and watch movement pieces collected on her travels. She sees her jewelry as three-dimensional collages whose assemblages are often inspired by both ancient and contemporary cultures. threestonesgallery.com/lyca-blume

All photos courtesy of Three Stones Gallery