I’m Michael Patterson, a concept artist at Backpack Solutions, an XR (extended reality) solutions company. I’ve been calling San Antonio home for over 20 years now, but I’m originally from New York City. My family made the move to San Antonio in 2001 when I was just 9, and it's been my home ever since.

I graduated from Karen Wagner High School in 2010 without a clear idea of what I wanted to do. After that, I got an associate degree in liberal arts from San Antonio College (SAC). It was during my time there that I really discovered my love for art, especially drawing anime characters in my spare time. Even though I was into subjects like science and history, art just clicked for me, so I decided to focus on developing my skills.

After SAC, I jumped into the Art Institute in San Antonio to study Illustration. Looking back, I wish I’d finished that program and earned my bachelor’s degree. Instead, I transferred to The Southwest School of Art to focus more on drawing and painting since my passion for traditional art was growing. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to complete my education due to financial reasons.

The art form I’m most known for is acrylic painting. My journey with acrylics kicked off at SAC when I took an introductory painting class that really opened my eyes to what I could do with this medium. Since then, I’ve created a bunch of acrylic paintings that have become my signature style.

Over the years, I’ve had a mix of jobs, from being a busser to working as an instructional assistant at a charter school. Before my current gig, I was a security guard at the McNay Art Museum, and I was super honored to be selected for their ALA program ( https://www.mcnayart.org/exhibition/artists-looking-at-art-michael-patterson-jr/ ) from August to February. Having my work displayed there was a huge milestone for me, and it even caught the attention of my current employer, which I’m really grateful for. Plus, a journalist named Ken Rodriguez wrote an article for The San Antonio Report ( https://sanantonioreport.org/an-artist-a-canvas-and-a-living-portrait-of-thanksgiving/?amp ) about one of my pieces at the museum, which was truly an honor.