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The Sui\? Herald
bection D, Page 1
Lively Arts
Continued from Page D-l
to six paintings a month, her husband estimates about 1,100 of her works have been sold to date, with many buyers snapping up six or more at a throw.
Painting, however, is not the versatile Mr? Bannister?s only passion. ?Actually, my passions are sailing, plants and horses.?
And, with a new beachfront home with two recent-model Mercedes in the carport, Pati Bannister can finally afford to enjoy her passions.
Sunday Morning, March 19, 1978
Bay St. Louis artist one of most popular English resident painters
By JERRY KINSER
LIVELY ARTS EDITOR
Bay st. louis artist pati
Bannister decided several years ago she would paint what she liked ? and the public loved it; so much in fact, she is now considered possibly the most popular English resident painter in America today.
Her haunting and exquisitely detailed paintings of young children, usually set against a beautiful rustic background, have found a wide following and now command prices in the five figures.
Although her work schedule, eight to 10 hours a day seven days a week, precludes entering many art exhibits, she has captured the
E.	Emerson Albright Award four times and recently held a one-woman show at International House in New Orleans, where she was declared an honorary citizen and presented a key to the city.
She is currently engrossed in creating 20 paintings for another one-woman show for November at the Daytona Beach Museum of Art.
In a rare moment of relaxation this week at her beach-front home, the artist calmly and dispassionately discussed her life, work and success.
"I paint to please me,? she said. "People read into them what they want, what they remember from their childhood and what they dreamed of then.
"My paintings usually include young children, lacy clothing and spring flowers because this is what I like to paint. I love to sew and the clothes in the paintings are carefully throught out in pattern form."
A strong sense of nostalgia and timelessness pervades the soft pastels of her highly imaginative
creations, touching off hidden emotions in the most hard-bitten viewer.
Mrs. Bannister compares a painting to an invention, with all the difficulties of the creative process involved.
"Every time I start a painting, I must invent something totally new ? and it's agony when you can't think of anything.
"Then the idea comes, sometimes even in a dream, and it all goes great initially, until the time comes to add the detail ? that's when the real work begins. You just sit there in your studio for hours and days,? she said.
A perfectionist, she doesn't let go of a painting easily. "I never feel it?s good enough ? I can always see room for improvement. How can any artist improve if he's satisfied with his work," she asked.
Many have compared her work to Boticelli's, one of the great Renaissance Italian painters she was introduced to at the Slade Academy of Fine Art in her home town of London; however, she disclaims this, "The English painter Turner is my favorite and if I?ve been influenced at all, he?s the one."
A highly personalized style is what she has worked for and found. Her works stand out in any gallery and fairly shout her name.
She feels strongly that any aspiring artist must receive a thorough background in the basics, training she received at Slade Academy. "Several years back, everybody was taught impressionism and how to draw colorful blobs. A more realistic style has returned to fashion now and these artists lack the essential basic drawing skills to compete," she said.
Mrs. Bannister, whose parents were both recognized artists, ad-
mits she draws heavily on her past in her work. That past includes a childhood spent in war-time London and frequent excursions into the English countryside to escape Nazi bombs.
And, she says, it was probably here that she discovered her love of the country ? especially the horses. After attending the academy, she declined a chance to advance to the Royal Academy of Art, choosing instead to work illustrating children's horse books to help support her widowed mother.
Her work was recognized and at age 17 she was selected by J. Arthur Rank to create artwork for his motion picture studio.
Then, after three years and finding herself restless under the strictures of English life, she applied for visas to India and Australia, found the wait for these countries too long and arrived in the United States after only a six-week's delay.
At first she worked as an English governess in New England, tired quickly of this aqd moved to Florida and a job as a stewardess with Southern Airlines.
"I was a stewardess when I met my husband Glenn," she said smiling. "In those days, it was against company policy for a stewardess to be married and I'm afraid poor Glenn spent many hours hiding out in our shower stall when unexpected company arrived."
Also at this time, she was doing some portrait work, which she found too confining. "Painting faces I was not interested in was not my idea of art. Glenn and I picked up and moved to New Orleans where he established an art gallery on Bourbon Street. It's now called the Townhouse Gallery and still exhibits my work."
Other galleries currently exhibit-
paint to please me. People read into them what they want, what they remember from their childhood and what they dreamed of then...Every time I start a painting, I must invent something totally new ? and it's agony when you can't think of anything."
? Pati Bannister
ing Bannister works are the Merrill Chase Gallery in Chicago, the La Galeria in San Mateo, Calif., and the Summers Gallery in Shreveport.
Recently, Bill Haynie of Gulfport has been representing her locally.
Even with a limited output of four
See BANNISTER, Page I) 8