Yolanda Patton
Oakland, CA
A beautiful series of thoughts, Love and spirituality. I love how every woman is perfectly flawed. I AM, ThaSun and everything is a mere extension of MY soul.
Message
Yolanda Patton, also working under the artistic moniker ThaSun, is an Oakland-based multimedia artist whose work centers on the well-being, resilience, and beauty of women, while speaking universally to the human experience. Drawing from her own life journey and the shared experiences of those closest to her, Patton infuses each piece with profound emotional depth.
Through a diverse practice that includes acrylic on canvas, watercolor, pyrography on wood, and experimentation with tile and glass, she explores the nuanced space between the pristine and the "perfectly flawed." A defining characteristic of Patton’s work is her choice to leave her figures faceless. This intentional anonymity invites viewers to project their own identities into the pieces, transforming each artwork into a mirror for self-love, healing, and internal beauty.
Patton’s work has been widely exhibited across the San Francisco Bay Area, with notable features in East Bay Artists (2021), the Art of the African Diaspora at the Richmond Art Center, Studio 23, Ethnic Notions, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, The Grand Gallery, Vin En Noir, Napa, Macy’s and A Mural in Alameda. She is currently focused on expanding her exhibition footprint and engaging with new communities to share her vision.
Statement
My view as an artist is to remind people how beautifully flawed we all are. Every roll, dent, broken spirit, or mended smile represents perfection as it should be. We embody strength, power, vulnerability, and sadness, but beneath it all lies love and resilience. This love and power are found within me and funneled through my paintbrush.
Because I am also a poet, each brushstroke is a line, stanza, or verse from my mind. Painting and poetry are my ways of showing life in its rawest and—through my eyes—most beautiful form. When viewing my artwork, I want you to see yourself, no matter what stage of your journey you are in. My paintings are reminders of our perfectly flawed humanity. Everything is painted from my soul, from love, and by The Sun, Yolanda Patton.