Artist. Advocate. Leader.

Patric Stillman is a contemporary figurative painter whose work explores identity, memory and the lasting influence of lived experience. Working through the visual language of Atmospheric Symbolism and rooted in Contemporary Memory Painting, he creates emotionally resonant works where figures emerge through layers of color, atmosphere and remembered experience. His paintings consider not only who we have been, but how the lives we have moved beyond continue to shape who we become.

An early breakthrough series, Brotherhood Tarot, established his exploration of queer identity, archetype and intimacy. His practice has since evolved toward a deeply personal body of work that examines memory as an active force, revealing how love, loss and the passage of time become woven into our sense of self.

In 2014, Stillman founded The Studio Door, extending his studio philosophy into community. What began as a gallery has grown into one of San Diego's leading contemporary art spaces, championing cultural diversity, LGBTQ artists and creative entrepreneurship within the city's LGBTQ Cultural District.

His work is held in permanent institutional collections and in private collections throughout the United States and internationally.

Stillman is the host of Beyond Gallery Walls and writes a recurring arts column for The WORD San Diego. He is a member of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the San Diego Tourism Authority, the San Diego Equality Business Association and Pride Point Network.

He lives and works in San Diego with his husband of 20 years.

BIO

Pride and Protest

Permanent Collection of the San Diego History Center

Original Pride

Permanent Collection of North County LGBTQ Resource Center

My paintings explore the lives we have moved on from and the ways they continue to shape our sense of identity. Time rarely preserves our experiences as they happened. Instead, memory softens their edges, allowing emotion, relationships and meaning to become part of who we are.

Working through Atmospheric Symbolism and Contemporary Memory Painting, I use figures, light and atmosphere to reveal the emotional landscape beneath lived experience. The paintings are less concerned with documenting a moment than with expressing what remains after time has transformed it.

As a gay man in my sixth decade, I draw from a lifetime shaped by love, loss, resilience and community. My work reflects the people, places and experiences that continue to live within me, revealing how identity is formed not only by what we remember, but by what memory chooses to leave behind.

My studio practice extends beyond the canvas into community, business and cultural life. Through The Studio Door, writing and advocacy, I believe creativity creates opportunities for conversation, understanding and belonging. Art has the power to bridge differences because it begins with our shared humanity.

If my work succeeds, it offers viewers a place to recognize themselves through the emotions we all carry long after the moment has passed.

STATEMENT

May 9, 2026

Patric Stillman has been recognized by the City of San Diego with a Certificate of Mayoral Recognition honoring his artistic excellence and lasting contributions to the cultural life of San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community.

Presented on behalf of the people of the City of San Diego, the recognition acknowledges Stillman’s sustained dedication as an LGBTQ+ artist and his meaningful impact on the region’s creative landscape through decades of artistic practice, cultural leadership, and community engagement.

For more than a decade, through The Studio Door in Hillcrest, Stillman has championed contemporary art, elevated LGBTQ+ voices and helped shape one of San Diego’s most visible and enduring independent arts communities.

CITY OF SAN DIEGO

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Selected Recognition

  • Founder, The Studio Door (est. 2014)

  • Larry T. Baza Arts & Culture Award Recipient

  • Mission Fed Artwalk Artie Award Recipient

  • Nicky Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Recipient

  • Hillcrest Hero with Neighborhood Street Banners

  • Vice Chair, SDTA Tourism Accelerator Alumni Committee

  • Columnist, The Word on Art

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