Patricia Mroczka’s love of art began at the Sinsinawa Dominican Center near Dubuque. After graduating, she continued her studies at the Art Institute of Chicago. She loved the detail in technical work involved in constructing buildings on paper. Later in life she obtained an associate degree in architecture. Downers Grove’s quaint homes and downtown area have inspired her for more than thirty years.
Pat experimented in various mediums but settled down to oils for about ten years. A watercolor commission inspired her- and she fell in love with it again! She has taken several watercolor classes and workshops from leading watercolorists in the Midwest and her use of watercolor has evolved with the use of doodle-like forms in her florals and leaves. Pat layers watercolor to create deep, rich colors, similar to oils and acrylics. Her realistic watercolors are framed traditionally with mats and glass, although recently she’s mounting them on wood panels and using a watercolor UV varnish to preserve the paintings.
Pat’s first honor was a second place in a Milwaukee Art Journal contest for an oil painting. Later she completed twelve renderings for the Indian Boundary YMCA to help them fund their new addition. She was commissioned a few years ago by the village of Downers Grove to complete five renderings in celebration of their 175th anniversary. Her clients continue to enlist her to complete the home portrait’s she’s been actively doing for more than thirty years. A signature member of the Illinois Watercolor Society, Pat achieved three Honorable Mentions in three national shows in Dixon, Illinois.
Pat is a member of the Downers Grove Art Guild, Naperville Art League and Nature Artists’ Guild, as has won several awards with the DuPage Art League and LaGrange Art League. Pat has been accepted to the celebratd Alliance of Fine Art Best of the Best exhibits for the past several years. She has had solo exhibits at the Oak Park Arms Hotel, the Villa in Lisle, Downers Grove Library and Sinsinawa Dominican Center. In September 2018 she was accepted for the highly acclaimed Naperville Riverwalk art show – her artwork was used for their posters.
Pat started using watercolor primarily for the ease – “no mess, no smell. Mix it with water, it dries quickly.” She has always been attracted to florals and leaves, and watercolor captures their fragile essence. “Watercolor in conjunction with the zentange/doodle style is most relaxing, fun and spiritually satisfying, as well as challenging.”
Nature Artists' Guild 