Artist Pasty “Skyline” Lowry is larger than life. She is rich in character, color, creativity and spirit. Stepping into her studio is almost a departure from reality and into a fanciful realm filled with dazzling color, imagination and a touch of whimsy. The studio, which she has occupied for more than 40 years, tells the fascinating story of this third-generation Arizonan whose personality is as bright and bold as her art. Lowry’s creativity seems to know no bounds. From acrylic paintings of landscapes, spirits and flowers to bronze sculptures, lithographs, hand-painted silks and crushed velvets to upholstered chairs — there is seemingly no medium she isn’t open to. “I do everything except realism,” she said. “My interest is in finding something beautiful and making it more beautiful in an unexpected and original manner,” Lowry said. “When I create something, I have to find the spirit of what I am working on and make it come alive. And make it magical, spiritual and profound. That doesn’t mean it has to be heavy-duty — spirituality and creativity can be soft, gentle, fluid, strong, emotional, disturbing, upsetting, extravagant, divine, everything — the full catastrophe.” A key part of Lowry’s philosophy is that everything must have two sides — like a purse or a chair. Lowry delights in the element of surprise and making sure both sides are differently but equally interesting. She tries to find things that have a past, then garnishes them with earrings, jewels, necklaces, flowers, sequins — transforming the mundane with a play on texture and sparkling color. STYLE OF A Glimpse Behind the Jeweled Curtain into the Life of Patsy Lowry Catie Richman | Contributing Writer spirit 32 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | AUGUST 2019 STYLE UNLOCKED {living fashionably}

“Where do I find my supplies? Everywhere. If you are open to whatever it is you are looking for, it is there,” Lowry said. “You just have to see it and then you have to be wealthy enough to buy it.” Sometimes, she will have things for years before they speak to her, like a skirt from Guatemala she bought decades before transforming it into one of her signature styles. Lowry is celebrated for an ornate style that is undeniably her own. She has always been stylish, but growing up as a tennis player in Phoenix, she never wore anything but shorts or her Xavier College Prep uniform. It was during time in Spain, exploring the fashion houses in Madrid, that Lowry began to break free from the uniform and fully embrace her personal style. “I love being able to express a new feeling, a new look, a new style, something that makes me happy, something that makes me feel sophisticated or that I didn’t think I would ever have the nerve to wear,” Lowry said. “The thing that goes along with that is everywhere I go people say, ‘Oh, I love that color on you.’ People respond to creativity and beautiful things.” But it’s not simply putting on a new dress; the clothing and design are just a part. Lowry’s designs take on a new life and a new way of expression for the person wearing them, unique to that person’s spirit. “Fashion is the art of magical connection between the designer and the wearer,” Lowry said. “When you buy something by an artist, the first thing you have to do is relate to it. Your response, because of your past and who you are, is going to be different from that of I, the designer, because you come from a totally different place. The piece, the fashion, the art is complete when you combine the two ingredients — the fashion designer and the person wearing it.” Lowry believes every piece she creates contains her spirit, which is manifested by her life experience, giving it strength and meaning for her audience to connect to. “The richer my life, the richer my art, the richer my response,” said Lowry. “The mystery is how the Photos by Jillian Rivera Photography “I want my art to be larger than life,” Lowry said. “I want people to respond to me in extravagant, magical, outrageous, wonderful, exciting, joyous ways.” AUGUST 2019 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 33