MapJanuary 2023 Artist of the Month
Artist’s Statement
“My purpose is to capture a sense of light and space. Often my subjects are common, intimate places in nature, rather than the spectacular vistas for which Colorado is famous. I strive to communicate a sense of being there at a specific moment in time, when the light is interacting with the shapes and the emotion I feel.”
About the Artist
Paul works primarily in oil, but enjoys working in other media, particularly charcoal and pastel, and occasionally watercolor. “I no longer worry that trying other media and subjects is a distraction. I truly feel that art is a journey and I’m starting serious pursuit of art relatively late in life. I have realistic expectations of what I might achieve, but very high expectations for the sheer joy of the journey. Working in other media and tackling different subjects is for me very much like cross training is for an athlete.”
Paul’s main interest in landscape painting springs from his desire to convey his appreciation of the natural surroundings. “Landscape painting provides me the opportunity to capture both what I see and the connection I feel to that place at the moment. In my painting I try to pull the viewer into the scene and the sheer joy I feel in just being there.”
Paul paints en plein air (on location) whenever possible, a passion he credits to training under Colorado painter Molly Davis. “Painting from nature is a challenge. Even in the best weather the sun is changing rapidly and so decisions have to be made rapidly.” “More than once a sudden gust of wind has come out of nowhere and sent my easel, palette, and painting face down into a bush. Painting in Grand County along the Fraser River is one of my favorites, and often I find I am sharing the same view with a moose.”
