Biography

Patricia Moradi Torkan unfolds a narrative that intertwines her Iranian roots with a vibrant and divine artistic journey in Los Angeles. After leaving her homeland at age 10, never to return, Patricia focused the next three decades on her personal growth including earning an MBA from Pepperdine University and nurturing a positive philosophy that shapes both her life and her art. Today, Patricia weaves her roles as a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother with her passion for creating soulful canvases.

Torkan begins her creative process in her Los Angles studio with a meditation that sometimes lasts 2 hours, laying canvas on the floor surrounded by paint, candles, and flowers. Each canvas becomes a vessel for a written intention—a blessing for a loved one, humanity or heartfelt expressions of happiness. As she pours her paints onto the canvas, a myriad of colors intermingle forming compositions that, at first glance, may resemble abstract expressionist art. Yet, upon closer inspection, the paintings unveil underlying images and meanings. Water, and sometimes her own tears, are added to the mix, symbolizing light. Once an image corresponding to her written intention emerges, Torkan stops painting and waits for the canvas to dry.

Sometimes, an image surfaces immediately—a pair of eyes, a mouth, a small bird. In other instances, the paintings are taken into her home, where they are observed for months until a vision reveals itself. She then brings these hidden images to light, painting them in a way that makes them visible to everyone.

When Patricia Torkan paints, she taps into her God-side in a world of mystic ecstasy. “The experience is so beautiful,” she says, “it’s like meditating all day long.”

Artist Statement

The power of great art is its ability to influence its viewer. Its ability to make its viewer ponder upon the same question as the artist had when he or she painted the painting. Art for me is a sense of discovery, a way to question and know myself, the world I live in and the universe in general. I hope you as the viewer get a glimpse of my views of reality in the hope of helping you question, decipher and answer questions that are important in your discovery of yourself and the world which you live in.

-Patricia M. Torkan