Patricia Bunk and some of her students attended the Fine Arts Festival at the Straz Center in Tampa in May. They joined hundreds of other student artists from around the county.
Patricia Bunk has a passion for art. Bunk has been drawing and painting for many years. She shares her love of art with the students at FishHawk Creek Elementary School in Lithia where she has been the art specialist for the last six years.
Bunk started to draw and paint in the third grade. Her passion led her to pursue art in higher education. She attended the Art Institute of Boston and the California College of the Arts. Bunk then received her M.Ed. from Cambridge College.
Bunk’s work has been exhibited and published. She had her artwork “Alma” displayed at the Tampa Museum of Art.
Bunk uses traditional canvas, illustration, heavy rag papers and silk as well as cotton fibers. Bunk said, “I developed my own characteristic style, which is both inspired by the Impressionists’ use of light, Raphael’s elegance and by Art Nouveau and Klimt’s decorative style.”
At FishHawk Creek Elementary School, Bunk launched an annual event known as “Celebrate the Seasons.” Each December, close to 1,000 students display their artwork in a unique museum-style setting. Each piece is matted in a professional style, and the children can proudly show off their work to all who come to the event.
Bunk said, “Art brings the community together. I organized the exhibit, the music and established a solid foundation for art appreciation.” Bunk added, “I wanted to inspire quality artwork.”
Most recently, Bunk invited 16 of her students and their families to join hundreds of other student artists from around the county and exhibit their artwork in the Fine Arts Festival at Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center in Tampa. Students were encouraged to write stories about their images. The stories were compiled into a book called The Artists Village.
For more information on Bunk and her art, please visit www.purple-palette-arts.com, visit her on Facebook at PurplePalette Arts or e-mail her at Patriciabunk@sdhc.k12.fl.us.
