Patrick’s parents emigrated to New York City from Trinidad and Haiti when they were young. Eventually they met in Brooklyn where Patrick and his siblings were born. Looking for a slower pace and access to outdoor spaces for hiking and camping, his parents moved the family first to Waltham (Patrick was 12) and then Framingham (Patrick was 18). Because his family had loved the cultural part of Brooklyn, they felt very at home in the diverse city of Framingham.

Experts say that things are remembered when connected to strong emotions; this certainly seems true for Patrick. Finger painting with only red, yellow and blue paint is the first thing Patrick told me about during our conversation. He knew something was special about that moment — a defining moment at age 4 or 5.

A few years later there was another such moment, this time with his Dad. His dad worked at Madison Square Garden. In the under belly of Madison Square Garden, his dad took him to what he remembers as one of the very first Comic Con gatherings. All the artists who made comics were there and Patrick was able to walk around, see their work and talk to them–way before it was part of the pop culture it is today. To support Patrick in his immediate interest in comics, his dad bought him a book “How to Draw Comic Book Heroes”  Patrick’s own Astro Man was born!

Patrick grew to love the whole world of comic characters, especially Astro Man’s universe. Along with this, he became into Sci Fi games, and music too. He describes himself as a gamer through and through. In fact when he is drawing on his laptop he often has gaming on in the background. Patrick’s favorite type of  video games are Indie games. He showed me one of his favorites and not being a gamer at all I was impressed. It was beautifully crafted, nonviolent, with relaxing music and images; it had a meditative quality. Look it up if you want a treat–the name of it is Gris.

When Patrick was ready to go off to college, he chose to study illustration at University of Hartford. This is where he met his wife Samela. He enjoyed studying illustration and also got some training in classic painting and drawing too.

Since college Patrick has supported himself by working as a chef in local kitchens and doing his illustration work. Now, he is making it on his illustration work and other art gigs. Upon hearing that he makes art for a living, many people want to know the secret to paying your bills with this profession. “It’s really all about consistency and budgeting. The secret is living under your means; I don’t spend more money than I earn. I save a lot and I don’t spend money on things that don’t serve the business. I do spend money on quality food and fun times that keep me living and inspired. Keeping your health in tact is the number one way to stay focused and keep grinding to make the world a more beautiful place.”

Currently, Patrick is collaborating on books with a nurse Dishon Gonzalez whom he met on social media. Dishon wanted to write books to help patients (particularly kids) through medical procedures by explaining ahead of time, in a nonthreatening way, what is the appointment will look like. He chose Patrick as the illustrator first foremost because he liked Patrick’s style. Beyond that, he knew Patrick would be empathetic to what children are going through since Patrick lived with Hodgkins Lymphoma at age 4. Lastly, as a black man himself, the Dishon felt good about hiring a black artist. Their partnership was born and the first book published was Derrick Gets a Shot. The second book Derrick Gets a Cavity was recently published. You can find Derrick Gets a Shot here.

For another project, Patrick produced a video trailer for the Save the Earth Club. Emma Petroff, an activist in the making and a student at the Miriam F. McCarthy School in Framingham, started the real-life Save the Earth Club at her school. Emma also has some voice acting lines at the end of the trailer. This project is part of the Keep Framingham Beautiful nonprofit. Patrick is now working on the animated storybook for the Save the Earth Club. Patrick, who is mission-driven and community oriented says he is really proud of getting this together. To see the trailer click here.