The Artist Behind the Meridian Wine Label
Inspiration: The new series of labels feature paintings by artist Patrick McFarlin, known for his vibrant, contemporary style, was commissioned specifically for Meridian. Patrick drew on his years living in California to create artistic interpretations of the geographic vitality and fresh spirit of California. Each painting captures the vivid colors of California, with themes of sunshine, water, mountains and meadows running throughout.
Biography: Born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1939, Patrick followed his interests in art, “Beat” poetry and Zen to Northern California in the 1960’s. An artist with an impressionistic and bold style in sync with the northern California figurative funk, Patrick drew the attention of critic Thomas Albright to his work in San Francisco in 1969.
Patrick’s exhibiting career began in 1968 at Light Sound Dimension Gallery in San Francisco. He continued exhibiting his work in major cities including New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Houston, and Santa Fe throughout the 1980s.
In 1990 Patrick moved to Santa Fe. In 1993 he began painting portraits of friends in his Santa Fe studio, named “Pat's Downtown Club,” which became a center for artistic collaboration. Patrick made more than 200 portraits of members in the Santa Fe community, which were exhibited at SITE Santa Fe in 1996-97.
In 1998, his amazing collection of 105 portraits called Napa Valley: Portrait of a Community was shown at Stags’ Leap Winery and a similar event continued at the Birmingham Museum of Art.