Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Hasson.
Hi Patrick, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Like many creatives, I started out studying Fine Arts (at the University of South Florida). I experimented with various art forms, but after taking an experimental filmmaking class, I got the film bug and spent the next two decades writing and directing independent films (with limited success) and eventually moved to Hollywood to “make it big.” Fast forward to 2013…I was living in Tujunga, working as a freelance writer/director/editor. I was artistically unhappy, tired of living in a shitty apartment, and my future as a 43-year-old freelancer was looking bleaker by the day. Something had to change. I knew that I’d never be able to afford a house in LA and had always enjoyed coming out to the desert to get away from things. One day, while hanging in Joshua Tree, I thought to myself, “I wonder what houses go for out here?” Now, at the time, Joshua Tree wasn’t the hipster mecca that it is today, and you could actually buy a house out here for 6ok. After doing some research, I was able to purchase a beat-up 2-bedroom home for $73,000. My friends in the film world thought I had lost my mind, asking “What the hell are you gonna do in the desert…smoke meth?” I really had no idea what I was going to do with the house, but there was such freedom knowing I had a place to call home and more importantly, a place to create. I had gotten back into painting at the time, and since the house was in such bad shape, I decided to paint the house in bright colors.
Most of my neighbors thought I was insane, but the simple truth was painting the house in bright colors made me happy. I was able to transform this former drug house into something beautiful…a livable art retreat. Because I was still living and working in LA, I decided to put house on Airbnb, and that’s when my life changed. The house was a big success, and before I knew it, I was making a living through Airbnb. Now, I wasn’t making a fortune, but it was successful enough for me to purchase another fixer-upper home in Joshua Tree. I painted the house various bright colors but took it a step further, painting red and purple stripes across the roof (again, my friends and neighbors thought I had lost my mind). Rancho De Colores was born and I was now running two successful livable art retreats. Against the advice of friends, I moved out to Joshua Tree permanently and lived in a small trailer at the edge of my property. In 2019, I had my first one-man show (DESERT DUDES). The show was a hit, eventually landing an article in USA TODAY all about my Airbnbs and unique painting style (Dripping). Fast forward to 2023, I just opened my newest Airbnb in Joshua Tree (The Rainbow House), and I’m gearing up for my next one-man show entitled ‘1969.’ None of this happens without taking that first giant risk and more importantly, believing in myself. You can always change your life…even in your 40s.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing about my journey has been smooth, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Growing up, I never had a teacher who ‘saw something in me.’ Had no uncle that worked at a film studio. Had no contacts or connections to people working in creative fields. Everything that I’ve attained on this journey came from trial and error. If I had an interest in something, I just did it–fucked up–did it again and again until I knew what I was doing. And this was before the internet existed, so there was no Google or YouTube. If I wanted to research something, I went to the library for hours and read. Was this a pain in the ass? Yes, but learning through trial and error, you develop a true understanding on how things work. I taught myself how to make films. I became an Airbnb entrepreneur from trial and error. And the same with painting…I started painting with house paint on pieces of wood until I developed ‘dripping.’ I spent hundreds of hours trying out different styles and experimenting until I discovered something that was all my own. I think the best artists (music, painting, acting, etc.) develop from those who have to forge their own path through seemingly impossible obstacles.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
After buying my first house in Joshua Tree, I was doing A LOT of (house) painting. I was amazed at how a color of paint (specifically the colors of the rainbow) could absolutely transform a room and create a particular feeling. I’ve always been a fan of color, but having this large canvas to experiment on, a forgotten love of painting was unleashed. Because I didn’t have the money to decorate the walls of my first Airbnb, I started buying $10 mini-guitars down on Olvera Street and splattered them with rainbow-colored house paint. I also began painting abstracts at the time, throwing multi-colored house paint on large pieces of wood a-la-Jackson Pollock. The art was raw and instinctual, but before I knew it, I was having my first show in Hollywood in 2016. Although I enjoyed the process, I didn’t feel that I had a truly unique style. It wasn’t until I decided to paint a linoleum floor that I had that breakthrough.
I wanted to paint the floor using my custom colors (saturated hues of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple), but I couldn’t use the paint-throwing technique on the floor because the paint would get everywhere. “What if I put each color in a squeeze bottle?” I thought. I knew that would allow me much more control of the paint, and because I was using acrylic house paint, the colors wouldn’t blend together. I started squirting small colored blobs onto the floor, forming a mosaic pattern, but then I took a house nail and ran the tip of it through the various colored circles, creating very unique patterns. I then added small drips of paint into this developing mosaic and took a step back. It was so beautiful and unique and solely my own…that day ‘Dripping’ was born. It was then I decided to do a series of paintings using this style on portraits of desert rock musicians (Josh Homme, Brant Bjork, Mario Lalli, John Garcia, etc.). A year later, my ‘Desert Dudes’ series opened at the newly-christened Joshua Tree Gallery of Contemporary Art (which is an INCREDIBLE space), and the world got its first taste of my ‘dripping’ style.
I was honored to have several of the musicians in the series (Mario Lalli, Chris Goss, Jesika Von Rabbit, Dave Catching, Gary Arce, Gene Trautmann, Arthur Seay, and Sean Wheeler) play an improv set at the closing party of the show. I’ve been painting obsessively ever since, doing portrait commissions and working on my newest series–‘1969,’–which will feature portraits of the musicians (The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Nina Simone, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, etc.) that made 1969 one of the greatest years in music. I’m planning on having shows for the ‘1969’ series in both Joshua Tree and Los Angeles and hoping to get several of my musician friends to play songs from 1969 at the show’s opening/closing. I also have a small clothing line (Vicious Color) where I hand-paint clothing in my custom colors and style. I suppose I specialize in doing psychedelic portraits of people I admire. ‘Dripping’ and my rainbow-colored houses are definitely what I’m known for…people in Joshua Tree just call me ‘The Rainbow Guy.’ Looking back at my life, my art (paintings) is/are what I’m most proud of. I changed careers in my early 40s and did something that most people didn’t think I could pull off. I surprise myself sometimes.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I love cats, I’m a weather geek, and I believe that anyone is capable of anything if they believe in themselves and never take ‘no’ as an answer. I’m also a wanna-be rock star. I have no musical talent, but I’ve always admired those who can create music, which is probably why most of my portraits are of musicians that I admire. It’s a way for me to vicariously experience music in my own artistic slant. I’m very excited about my newest series (1969)–getting to paint so many of the musicians that I admire from that year–which I believe was one of the greatest years in music history. There was no autotune, social media, pro tools, etc…it was all about musicians creating music until it was so extraordinary that it had to be recognized.
Pricing:
- Vicious Color Custom – $50 per item
Contact Info:
- Website: www.patrickhasson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrickhasson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrick.hasson.77/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatrickHasson
- Youtube: https://www.tiktok.com/@viciouscolor
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/TheArtOutlaw
Image Credits
Photos by: Sandra Goodin Patrick Hasson
