Tiger Tales: Patro Ulmer

Patro “Pero” Ulmer is a modern artist from Orangeburg, South Carolina. His journey as a creator began at a young age with an early appreciation for art in his daily walk. Today, he creates three different art techniques; including abstract expressionism, graffiti and realism. His favorite kind of artwork to create is expressionism because he gets to play with colors. Patro relies heavily on his emotions for inspiration, which determines what he is going to paint and what technique he plans to use. 

In June of 2021, Patro commissioned a wall mural for the City of Clemson, titled “UNiTY.” With the recent social issues, Patro and the City of Clemson wanted to create something to show togetherness in the area and to bring awareness to the recent social justice issues. The mural depicts the word ‘unity’ in sign language and the hands are overlapping to create a unified shape, which makes the sign language more abstract. The different hues in the mural represent different ethnicities united together, and of course, the background is orange for Clemson! 

As for the impact on the community, Patro says, “I want viewers to see and feel the mural and its meaning. I just want the mural to inspire love and unity amongst each other throughout the Clemson community as if it’s a game day everyday.”

Patro has seen Clemson grow tremendously over the years and he hopes to see more outdoor art used for community beautification in the future. Patro’s ultimate goal is to inspire change through love, which explains why he always signs his work with “Pero Love.”