Patrick: A Portrait

Written in 1994, Portrait assignment for a Creative Writing class

Patrick is a little man of five feet. He has two different colored eyes, brown and green, and it makes him appear mysterious. He has a perfect complexion, which is unusual for someone of twenty years of age. His hair red with brown and blonde streaks. It is rather long in the front and shaved a little in the back. His hair is something he takes pride in, and something he does not want touched or "messed up." It is very soft, and frequently smells strongly of Pert Plus. He also has a beard, which looks a little silly on such a short guy. However, it adds to his sense of humor and character. Patrick is never intimidated by his stature. In fact, he likes it. So do his friends and everyone who knows him well, because it is fitting to his style, humor, creativity and gentleness.

He has never understood fashion trends and has broken "the rules" in all of them. Although he is an artist, sensitive to color and beauty, he has never done well in matching his clothes. He creates most of his clothes out of unusual fabrics and colors, and all of the ensembles he creates usually have his symbol on them, which implies his name. He wears store-bought clothes as well, but he will usually shop at the Salavation Army Store, or Marshalls, where he will spend at least two hours picking out the most bizaare apparel he can find. He usually then alters it and makes it into something more fitting of his style.

His sense of humor has made him eminent. He looks at life in a serious way and never takes himself seriously. He tries his best to make people laugh, and always succeeds. He is frequently told that he should be a stand-up comedian. Most notable are his contradictory theories (things he thinks about in his spare time), such as "Unsalted Saltines", "oil free Oil of Olay", and "New Old Fashined Potato and Ham Soup." He is also noted for singing his own renditions of popular songs, and carrying around a pepper shaker (because "you never know when you will have a pepper emergency"). He has always been able to make people laugh, and feel good about themselves. He sets an example for everyone around him, and they follow him willingly. Patrick is a friend to everyone.

Because Patrick is a creative individual, he appreciates eccentric, unique, and beautiful things. When he sees something like that, one always knows it, because that is when Patrick is the happiest. His face glows, and he is full of energy. He always says that a good piece of art will "make his day." One good example of this is a yard sale that he had gone to (he is frequently known to "conquer" yard sales). He found an antique, hand-carved wooden throne with two matching hand-carved wooden stools. The furniture was extremely old. Patrick was ecstatic, especially when he heard the price. The people who sold it clearly wanted to get rid of it, because they sold the whole set, including a matching fountain, for $40! Patrick's day was made, and another yard sale conquered.

Another example of his creativity are his short stories and poems. They are beautifully written, and always reveal something about him. They are shocking, truthful, scary, funny, and daring. One of his best poems is entitled "Jesus Christ `93", where he challenges religion and looks at the humorous aspects of it. He is not a man of direct hatred, he occassionally writes anything because he despises it or wants to get people angry. But he is daring in the way he thinks and writes. When he feels strongly about something, he reflects it in his stories and poems. He is hardly ever criticized or reprimanded because of this. Everyone who reads his stories and poems see the humor and feel the anger. It is difficult to criticize someone's true feelings. The same is true for his artwork. The eeriest part of him is reflected in his paintings. He likes to draw skulls and strange looing creatures with wings and tails. He rarely draws or paints anything that reflects happiness, unless he is asked by someone to paint a cartoon character on a jacket or t-shirt.

Patrick may be small in stature but he has a big heart. His height is fitting to his personality, humor, and eccentric taste, which triggers attention from everyone. He puts as many sides of himself as possible in his short stories and poems, no matter how scary or shocking these sides can be. He does not care if judgement is inflicted upon him, and he is not bothered by criticism. He takes chances and enjoys life in a way a lot of people wish they could.

Comments from my professor: "Good portrait of a very interesting person. Great specific details and your obvious caring for this person makes this FLY!"

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