{"id":52836,"date":"2014-08-19T23:11:59","date_gmt":"2014-08-20T03:11:59","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=52836"},"modified":"2014-08-19T23:11:59","modified_gmt":"2014-08-20T03:11:59","slug":"from-shoelaces-to-angels-pat-clearys-artistic-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/from-shoelaces-to-angels-pat-clearys-artistic-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"From shoelaces to angels: Pat Cleary\u2019s artistic vision"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At an art studio in rural Pennsylvania, Patrick Cleary examines a handful of ordinary white shoelaces before he begins a new work. Will he arrange the laces in playful whirls and spirals for the start of a sunset, one of his favorite themes? Maybe he\u2019ll use them to create a variation on the American flag, another subject close to his heart and always undertaken in honor of his late brother Michael Cleary.<\/p>\n

To replicate different textures on his paintings, Pat experiments with the laces, removing their plastic tips and fraying the threads to mimic grass, or an angel\u2019s wing or a sky full of fuzzy stars. One of his paintings features a cheery turquoise owl perched on a branch made from extra long laces, meant for a tall man\u2019s sneakers, painted to resemble tree bark.<\/p>\n

\"Sunrise<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In Balloon Theme<\/em>, five perfect circles zoom across a background of periwinkle blue and tangerine orange waves.\u00a0 The effect is reminiscent of sand art, yet Patrick creates his one-of-a-kind work using just shoelaces, which he adheres to canvas board, paints, then finishes with a glaze.<\/p>\n

\"Patrick's<\/p>\n

Patrick, 36, who was born with Down Syndrome, is arguably the only artist in the world who uses shoelaces as his preferred medium. He regularly sells his paintings to enthusiastic collectors, and has participated in many exhibits since he began studying art at Verve Virtu studio in Dallas, PA, about six years ago. Pat\u2019s pictures have been juried into <\/strong>Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital\u2019s annual Art Ability Exhibit, the largest international exhibition in the world for artists with cognitive, physical, hearing, and visual disabilities. Another Cleary original, one of about 400 pieces chosen out of more than two thousand entries, will highlight this year\u2019s show, which opens November 2nd<\/sup> in Malvern, PA.<\/p>\n

In a recent interview, Pat discussed the inspirations for his paintings and how he chanced on shoelaces as a way to express his artistic visions. As a child, he began collecting laces, so when a family friend closed her factory, she kindly provided him with a lifetime\u2019s supply.\u00a0 Encouraged by Gwen Harleman, artistic director of Verve Virtu, which is funded by the Deutsch Institute, Patrick began thinking about laces in a brand new way.<\/p>\n

Gwen calls Patrick, who plays piano and guitar and is into photography, a Renaissance man. Other friends refer to the multi-talented young man as \u201cThe Mayor,\u201d because of his sociability and charm.\u00a0 Lately, Pat says, he has been \u201cworking his heart out,\u201d at his maintenance job at a local university as the school gears up for the opening of the fall semester.<\/p>\n

Pat\u2019s first painting, God Bless the USA<\/em>, was created in honor of his brother, 1st<\/sup> Lieutenant Michael J. Cleary, who died at 24 in Iraq, December 2005, just days before his scheduled homecoming.\u00a0 Mike and his fianc\u00e9 had been planning their wedding, at which Patrick was to serve as best man.<\/p>\n

\"God<\/p>\n

Pat and Mike were the two youngest, the little boys in the Cleary household, with three older sisters. They spent summer afternoons swimming together at the local club and enjoying fishing trips. Pat likes to tell about the time his parents were out, and he accidentally banged his go-kart against a tree. Although he wasn\u2019t injured, he panicked about how to explain his unsupervised go-kart ride to his parents. His younger brother Mike stepped up, as he would so many times in his brief life, and claimed that he himself was the guilty one. \u201cMy brother\u2019s always <\/em>been my angel,\u201d Pat says.<\/p>\n

1st Lt. Cleary was the original inspiration behind the Run for the Fallen<\/em> held in 2008, during which group of civilians ran 4,000 miles across America, each mile completed in memory of a service member killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The run led to the award-winning documentary To Them That\u2019s Gone<\/em>, which chronicles this inspirational event.<\/p>\n

The hundreds of tributes left by visitors at Mike\u2019s obituary site by friends, former teachers, and fellow soldiers serve as testament to the quality of his character, his courage, leadership, and selflessness. One soldier who had served alongside Lieutenant Cleary wrote simply, \u201cI will teach my kids about men like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the interview, Pat, who enjoys keeping in touch with friends via social media, shared a prayer he had posted that morning on his Facebook page. Dear God<\/em>, he had written, I believe in heaven because I have sunsets and angels, and today. I love Jesus.<\/em><\/p>\n

He began studying art soon after Michael\u2019s death, and the activity has helped him cope with his grief. \u201cWhat I do here,\u201d he says, gesturing around the sunny studio crowded with exuberant, bountifully-colored art created by Verve Virtu students, \u201cwhat is happening here\u2014I just go with it.\u00a0 I follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

At his table in the studio, Patrick\u2019s hand hovers over his supply of laces. What will he create\u2014a blissful skyscape, an ocean sunrise, an angel? Like every artist, he wants to communicate a feeling, an idea, to the world in his images. Whether he decides to make undulating grass or ruler-straight red and white stripes topped by stars, it\u2019s certain that Patrick will transform the humble, useful shoelace into something more than itself.<\/p>\n

So much of life is mystery\u2014why are we here, what will happen after we die, have our lives really been divinely planned? Perhaps God, the master artist, likewise selects unpretentious, special souls like Patrick Cleary to break through what looks like limitations, and act as messengers of joy and praise.<\/p>\n

Pat Cleary is one example of what persons born with Down Syndrome can accomplish, given love and encouragement. According to some studies, ninety percent of unborn babies diagnosed with the condition are aborted.\u00a0In July, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed into law the \u201cDown Syndrome Prenatal and Postnatal Education Act,\u201d known as \u201cChloe\u2019s Law.\u201d\u00a0 This legislation mandates that medical professionals provide up-to-date, evidence-based information about the condition as well as support service referrals to new and expectant parents.<\/p>\n