Artist Statement

Patricia Leighton has been making art in the public realm for over 25 years, creating large-scale permanent commissions worldwide. Many of her projects relate to transportation, and include elements such as: utilizing excess and available soil on site to create large earthwork sculptures, incorporating stone and indigenous materials to relate to the environment, creating feature markers to be viewed from the air, and siting progressive sculptures adjacent to freeways. Patricia views the integration of art and site as a collaborative process. She is able to work in tandem with professionals from diverse fields such as ecology, engineering, architecture, and landscape architecture, and believes working on a diverse creative and problem-solving team is often the core of successful projects. Patricia’s sculptures function on a number of levels, enabling a wide public to relate to the work. Her earthworks and freestanding sculptures reflect the historical and environmental specificity of their setting. Even when seen quickly from a vehicle, they are intended to captivate their audience and instill contemplation. Most recently Patricia collaborated with Del Geist on Barum Stenning in Barnstable, England, and on Passage, at the US Border Station in Roosville, MT.