True
North
2023

Patrick Medrano’s 2014 sculpture “From the Hood to the Heights” was part of True North's inaugural exhibition, and he returns now for the project's tenth installation. Medrano’s 2023 sculpture, “Io" (one of Jupiter's four moons, pron. "eye-o") is an 18-foot tall, figurative work created using wood, plaster and paint. Based on a Peruvian Hairless Dog* of the same name brought here from that country and much-loved by Patrick's dear friends Gus Kopriva, Sharon Kopriva and Tanja Peterson, the sculpture is influenced by the mental therapy a companion animal can bring. A Heightsite himself, Medrano says, “I have always been inspired by the Houston Heights and the love for animals that is felt here. I want to bring a sense of joy and community with this sculpture.”

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A multidisciplinary artist, Medrano cultivated his natural and intuitive artistic talents in Victoria, Texas, from an early age. His works reflect a “whimsical darkness” to the world around him—enticing the viewer to seek a deeper meaning. Following an unmovable belief in an artistic vision all his own, Medrano’s journey has taken him to museums and galleries throughout the U.S., Lima, Peru, Paris, France, and Athens, Greece. In his creative space at Hardy & Nance Studios in Houston's historic Downtown Art Warehouse District, Medrano has participated in ArtCrawl Houston since 2003, and fantastical imagery was on full display in his wistful installation “Serendipitous,” featured in the 2022 multimedia invitational exhibition “Blue Norther,” sponsored by Redbud Gallery at Site Gallery Houston—an alternative art space housed inside 34 rice silos.

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*The rare breed was immortalized by pottery makers on ceramic vessels dating back to A.D. 750—discovered in the tombs of the ruling elite and nobility of ancient Peru.