Our Story
PTL Arts: A Transformative Creative Space
PATRICK TURNER-LEE
I am a Brighton-based Deaf artist, with a visual practice incorporating painting and drawing. My creative journey began later in life. I spent most of my career in the corporate world, but on Christmas Day in 2013, I suffered a heart attack. During the long process of recovery, I discovered an unexpected desire to make art. I began painting and drawing, eventually transitioning to oil paints. Using loose, intuitive painting techniques, I create works that explore faces, objects, landscapes, and methods of communication, seeking to highlight the positive aspects of my disabilities, such as how I pay close attention to faces because I lipread.
In 2024, I was the recipient of an Arts Council Developing Your Creative Practice grant, which facilitated a move towards accessibility in my art. I’m achieving this by learning to make touch-friendly natural pigments and including BSL and other accessibility tools in my presentation of work. My aim as a Deaf artist with ADHD is to work with my executive functioning challenges and communication barriers to create works that cross access barriers and form connections.
Throughout my artistic journey, I have grappled with Imposter Syndrome, often questioning my place in the art world. However, this struggle has fueled my desire to open up dialogue through the paintings I make. By sharing my experiences and perspectives, I hope to foster understanding and connection, inviting viewers to engage with my work on a deeper level. My art is not just a reflection of my personal journey but a bridge to broader conversations about accessibility, communication, and the beauty found in our differences.
