P.T. Sullivan is an artist living in South Boston with a unique approach to photography. In 2014 he graduated with a Master of Fine Art from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University. Both Nikon and Case Logic have recognized his talents through various levels of support and sponsorship, also the Arts Council of Ireland recognized him as an artist in 1997.
Originally from New Hampshire, a dual Irish and U.S. citizen, P.T. has strong ties to Ireland. His grandparents on his mother’s side are from counties Cork and Donegal, while his father's grandparents emigrated to these shores from Armagh and Sligo. Following his graduation from Providence College he signed on as a contracted photojournalist with the Boston Globe based in Dublin, Ireland. After three years he returned to the U.S. and remained with the Globe until 2007, while also working with numerous other publications including the NY Times, Mother Jones and New Hampshire Magazine.
While at Providence College, an alma mater of his undergraduate swim team came and spoke to the team after becoming a quadriplegic. This led P.T. to study the movement of the human body in motion. About 5 years ago P.T. was involved in a major car accident himself, which brought him back to his fine art photography studies. "My aim is to get people to start thinking about how we occupy and move through a space. My style captures the traces that we leave behind with the resulting images that focus on movement and can also have a pareidolia effect, which is when you look up at a cloud and you see a bunny or whatever your mind interprets it as," said P.T. While developing his art career, P.T. also does commercial photography and is pursuing a teaching position at university level.
“Most people don't initially recognize my work as photography, but it is photography in a true sense, it’s not a Photoshop trick, there’s no manipulation it that sense...many think it’s a charcoal drawing or some sort of effect like that. When people realize that my work is actually a photograph they are like 'what!', 'how?'. That’s a typical question, how do I get there? It’s through knowledge, craft, exploration and just really digging in deep and trying to find new ways to dig into what my craft is all about and not just rely on the stagnate routine," said P.T.
His work has been shown at a variety of personal collections, museums, galleries and exhibitions in the U.S. and internationally including the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. P.T. was also part of the team that helped artist Juan Travieso with a new mural recently completed on Harrison Avenue in the South End of Boston. Some of P.T's work is currently on display at Roffi Salon on Newbury Street, as well as Nurture Salon and 555 Gallery in South Boston. The Distillery building, where P.T. is based, will be part of the South Boston Open Studios November 7th and 8th where the work of around 50 other artists including P.T. can be seen.
For further information on the work of P.T. Sullivan visit www.pt35mm.com. The Distillery is located at 516 E 2nd St, South Boston. Further detail available at www.southbostonopenstudios.org
To bid on the piece that will be auctioned at ARTcetera visit https://paddle8.com/work/pt-sulliva/80563-giving/
Comments