Meet Pat McVay
Pat McVay8000 Scatchet Head Road
Clinton WA 98236
360-579-7811 (phone/fax)
www.mcvaysculpture.com
Pat's history in the arts goes back 30 years to Paris, where he began his career by repairing furniture—lively, zealous discussions at local cafes made for lots of broken furniture! Pat was given a small shop, a few tools and lots of paint used to hide mistakes. There was a blue period, a red period and a white period and soon, people began asking him to create new furniture. Then came work in porcelain tile, and after moving to the Olympic Peninsula, his attraction to the natural forms of the forest led him into wood carving. Currently, most of his work is large-scale carvings from already-downed trees, using everything from a chain saw to fine chisels. His whimsical and even comical sense is often the basis of unique carvings of people and animals. Many of his works are visible in public spaces up and down the West Coast. He was a founding member of the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association and the Cascade Wood Sculptors Guild. He shows his work at "Music for the Eyes," a gallery in Langley, Washington and at Island Art in Clinton just up the hill from the ferry on Whidbey Island and his home.
TRAINING AND EDUCATION
1971 ~ Self taught. Working in various mediums - wood, stone, clay, cast metal, concrete snow, and ice. Recent work in welded steel.1971-73 ~ Travels around Europe's museums and galleries
1969-1971 ~ Anthropology, English Literature at Spokane Falls C.C. and Western Washington State University, Bellingham.
WORK EXPERIENCE
1983-present ~ Sculpting, full time. Specializing in large wood sculpture; other works in stone, clay, cast metals, concrete and ice.1973-1983 ~ Custom made hardwood furniture, carved signs, handpainted porcelain dinner sets and tiles, some wood sculpting.
1973 ~ Splitter in twisted woods of Olympic Rain Forest, Humptulips, WA.
1970 ~Logger, fisherman and cook, Annette Island, Alaska.
RECENT EXHIBITIONS
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Thru May 2008 Pioneer Park Puyallup, WA "Sailor's Moon" wood sculpture |
April 2007 ~ Westcott Bay Sculpture Park, Roche Harbor, WA "Snail Bench" cedar bench
Sept 2006-2007 ~ Grande Ronde Winesellers, Spokane WA various sculptures
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April 2004-2006 Westcott Bay Sculpture Park Roche Harbor, WA "Rest" cedar bench Purchased in 2006 by a private collector, Olympic Penisula. |
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May 2004-2005 Everett Arboretum "Slugger" giant baseball, ball and bat |
Sept 2003-2004 ~ Downtown Sculpture Exhibit 8' tall salmon sculpture "Spawning" Everett, WA
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May 2003-2004 Outdoor Sculpture Show Wilmont Park "Midnight Salmon" 4' tall sculpture Woodinville, WA-purchased by the city of Woodenville |
July-Oct 2002 ~ Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition, Bellevue WA downtown park. "Slugger 2002" purchased by The City of Bellevue
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July-Oct, 2000 Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition 2000 Bellevue WA downtown Chism Beach Park "Lifecycle" sculpture, recently purchased by the City of Bellevue |
2000 ~ Hermitage 2000, Santa Barbara, CA Twenty-two sculptures featured in private gardens collection, open to the public fall 2000
Sept-Oct 1994 ~ Snohomish City Center for the Arts, Legends of the Forest, Northwests' top wood sculptors
PERMANENT INSTALLATIONS
2006 ~ "Endangered Species," giant cedar chair with carved book. Purchased by city of Puyallup |
2005 "Slugger" South Whidbey Community Park 12' bat with 3' ball |
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2005 "Midnight Salmon" Wilmont Park, Woodenville, WA sculpture |
2002 ~ 12' long Bat "Slugger 2002", Giant Baseball Bat, Hidden Valley Sports Park, City of Bellevue, three balls and a mitt (bench and chair)
2002 ~ 12' long Bat and 3' round ball, "Slugger 2001", Celebration Sports Park, Federal Way, WA, Giant outdoor Bench Bat and Ball
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2001 "Lifecycle" Chism Beach Park, Bellevue, WA 8' tall salmon sculpture |
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1999 Sculpted 2 story pillar Heron Cove B&B, Orcas Island, WA for James Hubbell, Architect |
2001 ~ 8' long Sea Otter Bench, Seattle Aquarium
2000 ~ Decorative reading bench, Clinton Public Library, Clinton,WA
1999 ~ Sculpted 2 story pillar for Heron Cove B&B, Orcas Island, WA for James Hubbell, Architect
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1999 22 life size sculptures Crab Pot Restaurants, Bellevue, Oceanside, Pier 57- Seattle, WA and Laquinta, CA. Entire fish menu plus sculptures of people eating dinner, etc |
1998 ~ Life size Baby Orca Whale emerging across from Seattle Aquarium, Alaska Wy, Seattle, WA
1994-1995 ~ Historic bench, Key West Aquarium, Key West, FLA
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1994 Shark Club Bar & Grill,Vancouver BC Numerous Life Size Sports Figures |
1992-1994 ~ public wood sculptures, Monterey County Fairgrounds, Monterey, CA
1991 ~ Breaching Orca, Seward Waterfront, Seward, Alaska
1998 ~ WA Numerous whimsical sculptures at various businesses
COMMISSIONS - Representative
2007 ~ (4) Carved cedar benches depicting Lake Washington marine life, Waverly Beach Park fishing dock, Kirkland, WA2000-2007 ~ Numerous lifesize sculptures of people and fish for "Fisherman's Restaurant", Seattle, WA, San Clemente, CA and the "Crab Pot Restaurant", Oceanside and Palms Springs, CA and Bellevue, WA
1999 ~ Lifesize sculpture portraits of owners of "Jeri's Nightclub", Hollywood , CA
1999 ~ 4' long bronze slug "Piggy Bank", Seattle Fudge Co., Seattle Center House, Seattle, WA
1998 ~ 30 foot long "Outdoor Classroom" Salmon Sculpture, Whidbey Island, WA
1997 ~ Giant hand, 23' long plus toes and face, in concrete and steel. The Hermitage, Santa Barbara, CA
1996 ~ Seattle Center House, "Michealangelo's" Restaurant, numerous sculptures
1995 ~ Two 12 foot carved pillars, Evolution of the Electric Guitar, Hard Rock Cafe, Whistler, BC
1995 ~ Sports Figures: Vancouver Canuck hockey player and Vancouver Grizzlie, basketball player for GM Place Arena, Vancouver BC
1995 ~ Lifesize Giraffe Head, apex of "Giraffe Education Project" building, Langley, WA
1993 ~ Numerous sculptures for Microsoft Corporation annual party, Pacific Science Center, Seattle, WA
1991 ~ "Welcome to Whidbey Island" sign, Clinton, WA
1990 ~ Friendship sculpture, Kazan, USSR
1989-94 ~ Numerous sculptures depicting fishing and the Alaska gold rush, Pier 57, Seattle, WA
FILM
2001 ~ Westport 2000, documentary of annual Westport, WA wood sculpture competition2000 ~ N.W. Backroads segment of Westport WA Carving Competition
1998 ~ Almost Live TV Show, Seattle waterfront sculptures featured in comedy scene
1989 ~ The Three Fugitives, Touchstone/Disney Productions, numerous sculptures in "bank robbery" scene
1981 ~ Evening Magazine segment on Sculpture Work
PUBLICATIONS
2007 ~ Upcoming book, American Woodcarving by Wayne Barton, featuring 40 American wood sculptors2006 ~ Featured in book, Large Wood Sculpture by Jessie Groeschen, Fox Chapel Press
2000 ~ Art of Chainsaw Carving by Hal Macintosh. Several pages of work featured
1997, 1998, 1999 ~ Woodworker West Magazine, articles on art work
1988-1999 ~ Chip Chats, national woodcarvers magazine, numerous articles
1988 ~ Chainsaw Art by Hal Macintosh; several pages of early work featured
1995-1999 ~ The Cutting Edge, chainsaw sculptors newsletter, Founder
1994 ~ 20th Century American Folk, Self Taught and Outsider Art, by Betty-Carol Sellen
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Snohomish County Center for the Arts, Everett, WANational Wood Carvers Association
Northwest Stone Sculptors Association, founding member
Cascade Chainsaw Sculptors Guild, founding member
Whidbey Island Woodworkers Guild