Pat first studied at the Belfast College of Art, and at the University of Ulster. He was Head of Art at St. Peters High School for some years. He subsequently left teaching to concentrate fully on painting professionally ever since. Pat's work is about landscape and nature and how man shapes and interacts with it. He likes to get out on location to observe the ever-changing light, particularly in Donegal and Connemara - not only the big landscapes of mountains, lakes, and sky but also the small landscape of streams, rocks, flowers and bog pools.

Pat Cowley has had a number of one-man shows, and has also shown in many, many group shows. He has also illustrated several successful books. He is currently working for a solo exhibition this autumn at The McGilloway Gallery in Derry.