A solo printmaking exhibition of Patrick Lindhardt’s new work and a brief retrospective of Lindhardt’s work with Flatstone Studios.  

Artist Statement   Story telling is easy. My language is the monotype. The voices of my monotypes are Impressionism and Expressionism with its dialect of value, perspective, contrast, and painterly mark making. I enter into making the image with apprehension and caution due to the fact that I do not pre-draw or write out the narrative. With my eyes wide open at the printing press this allows me to develop the story and let the story unfold before me the same way it unfolds for the viewer. The implied story of the print does not mean that the viewer or I should read the image as if it was written text (from right to left) on a page but rather experience it as an alternative visual map that will assist them through the image. Asked if these images are factual or fictional I must say “they are what they are.” All images are rooted in my memories of back home. When recalling memories, time and events can be skewed with other times and events, but at the time of creating the monotypes or it’s completion they are as real as any factual event reported in the newspaper. These events and times of past and present memories are interlock by association to each other. These memories arrange themselves at present as “fragments” that have been assembled for this exhibition similarly to fractured panoramic photographs. It has been years since my last visit back home but through the creation of these monotypes I have kept “back home” real and on the wall. Even after all these years of working with these recall images the comment made to me the other night seems more true than ever, “every image is the beginning of the road rather than the end.”

Flatstone Studio was created by Patrick and Dawn Lindhardt in Tampa, Florida in 1976. Upon graduating from the University of South Florida with a Masters of Fine Arts in Printmaking, Patrick was asked to produce a number of etchings for James Rosenquist. After three month of renovation on a garage behind the Lindhardt’s home the print shop was ready to produce the first etching for international known artist James Rosenquist. With Rosenquist’s help Susan Hall became interested in producing her first etching as well at Flatstone Studio. Rosenquist and Hall eventually created over forty different editions each. Throug out the years that Flatstone Studio was in Tampa, many Artists came to work in the small garage workshop including: Florence Putterman, John Chamberlain, Vito Acconci, Theo Wujcik, Mark Stock, Robert Maplethorpe, and many Florida artists.
Prior to opening Flatstone Studio, Patrick was always interested in collaboration with artists. His first collaboration was with his faculty members while attending Saint Cloud State University, Saint Cloud, Minnesota. After becoming interested in printmaking he was asked to produce editions of work for visiting artists to the Fine Arts department in exchange for a scholarship. During the next two years Patrick printed for George Sugarman, Allen D’arcangelo, Nicholas Krushenick, and Sam Gilliam. After graduating in 1971, Mr. Lindhardt was invited to work at Graphicstudio, University of South Florida, in Tampa, Florida that same year. He started as an assistant for the master printers there, preparing materials for projects; sponging lithographic plates and doing various other job assignments. During the evenings and on weekends he would complete printing assignments given to him by the master printer. After five years of working with internationally invited artists at Grahicstudio such as James Rosenquist, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Bell, Jim Dine, Arakawa, Phillip Pearlstein, and many more, Patrick was considered a Master Printer. Between 1974 and 1976 Patrick attended the Fine Arts graduate program in printmaking and received his degree from USF.
In 1989, Patrick and Dawn moved Flatstone Studio to Sarasota, Florida where he divided his time between the print studio and his new teaching position as printmaking instructor at Ringling College of Art and Design. Due to his teaching regimen Patrick had to decrease the number of artists that could produce work at the studio. In 1993 Flatstone Studio partnered with Ringling College of Art and Design to develop a major visiting artist project entitled “Women and Minority Print Project”. The three primary ideas for this project were: 1. Create and provide works of art for selected visiting artists. 2. Have the student experience collaborative process and produce a professional edition of prints. 3. Give the student real and practical work experience in a Fine Art Printmaking shop. During the projects lifetime over 23 artists were involved: Sue Cole, John Simms, Carol Hepper, Gladys Nilsson, Martha Keller, Melissa Meyer, Joan Truckenbrod, Nancy Fried, and many more (see publication 23 artists in residence).
For more than 30 years Flatstone Studio has been collaborating with artists, producing hand printed finish pieces of artworks ranging from Lithographs (hand-drawn and photo-lithographs), Intaglios (etching, mezzotints, dry points, aquatints, and soft grounds) Screen prints (direct and indirect process), and Monotypes. To this day Patrick Lindhardt’s philosophy for printing has not changed: Produce the very best, creative and professional prints possible and to give back to the artists the same intensity, desire, accomplishment that they gave him. Also, the viewer is an integrated member of the collaboration and should be respected (professionally executed works). And finally, pass on the information that others give you, but add to that wealth of knowledge with your own.

Patrick Lindhardt , “The Sinking of Doe Run”, monotype, 12’ x 4’, 2008.

Patrick Lindhardt , “Looking East at Farwell on a Clear Day”, monotype, 10’ x 4’, 2008.

Patrick Lindhardt , “Rescue Boat to Later”, monotype, 10’ x 4’, 2008.