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As a painter, Patrice Sullivan has been making art for years. “I taught painting for 25 years at Colorado State University. Then I retired and moved to ���������ϲ�����.”  Patrice has taken classes in fibers and jewelry, but wanted to see what photography is like, so she signed up for Photography I at ���������ϲ����� (PC) taught by Jennifer Laffoon. Patrice lives at Central and Encanto and has a new puppy, so the commute to PC campus is convenient. 

While Patrice uses photography in her paintings, it’s more autobiographical. Having grown up in the 50s, she explores sibling rivalry and family dynamics. “I translate photographs into the painterly.  On the canvas, I exaggerate, change the structure, turn black and white photos into color or color into black and white.” In her Photo I class, time is split between the darkroom and digital lab.  The first half of class is devoted to developing black and white film. The second half is digital photography and learning the tools in Photoshop. “I like being hands on making images versus being on the computer, but I may take digital photography next semester, given I have to document my own work,” she said.  

She finds painting and photography to be quite different. “Painting is direct. Processing film is indirect–you don’t know what you have until you go through the whole process and see that black and white. There could be mistakes–you might have overexposed or underexposed the film–so you have to keep going back to refine that.” Even the terms used in critique are different. “If a print is strong, it’s strong. You know that. But to articulate why, the vocabulary is different from painting.” 

Patrice went to Guadalajara in July for an artist's residency. “I like to talk to people when I go to a different culture. I took some Spanish on Babbel, but it wasn’t enough to interact,” she said and signed up for a Spanish class when she returned.  “Language is very hard for me, I have trouble with enunciation, but I love the PC class.  Trino Sandoval is the greatest teacher.  So patient. So helpful.  You know he wants you to succeed.”  

Patrice also noted the genuineness of students at ���������ϲ�����. “They want to be there.  Some of them work two jobs and would take more classes if they could.” Patrice, too, loves to learn. “It’s such a luxury to have information come to you and a privilege to have someone teaching you.” For anyone on the fence about returning to school because of their age, she notes the youngsters in her class are so nice to her. “I ask a lot of questions when I don’t understand. I think some of the younger students appreciate my questions because they are too shy to ask.” Patrice also notes the affordability of ���������ϲ�����.  “If you’re on a budget, you can’t get more affordable.”  

Want to learn some photography skills?  Check out PC's   offerings next semester. If you're looking to learn a new language, ���������ϲ����� offers as well as , , and .