I am Paul and I paint and write, draw and play and sing.
People even pay me. Mostly for the painting and drawing part
My work is about passion.
Never believe that you do not know what it is that you see when you look at artwork.
Emerson said “Trust thyself, every heart vibrates to that iron string.” If it moves you. If you can feel it, if you see yourself in its shadows or a memory or a hope, a colour, a place a feeling – if you empathize… if it makes your breath catch in your throat. That's the only thing that really matters.
That – THAT exquisite moment is such a gift to me. It is the greatest hope that I carry with me in my hopeful little heart of hopefulness.
It is a great honour to be in any way a part of such feelings with my work.
PAUL'S ART CAREER:
I was invited to exhibit at the Soho Gallery In Soho Village New York, but my health did not allow me to take advantage of that opportunity. I have a certificate of art and design and a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, majoring in painting, for which I maintained a distinction average.
In 2000 I exhibited at the Como Library, which led to an exhibit at the Como Gallery. I also sold work during that year through a variety of commercial galleries including the Schubert Gallery on the Gold Coast.
I had my next solo exhibition at Gallery 274 in Northbridge in 2001, followed immediately by another solo exhibition at the Babylon Hotel. That year Cannington had three consecutive on-site art competitions coinciding with markets, painting timed in situ. I won all three awards, including one sponsored by the then premier, Geoff Gallup. I won the Katanning art award and the Wongan Hills Art Award.
In 2003 I had a highly publicised solo exhibition at the Hawthorn Gallery, which the Premier of Western Australia opened. The Premier and I had planned a portrait sitting, but he retired due to personal reasons and I missed that opportunity. . I won the Mosman Park Art Award that year.
In 2004 I held another solo exhibition at the Australian Institute of Management, and that Institution also purchased a four meter tetraptych which still hangs in their foyer.
In 2005, I held a solo exhibition at Little Creatures Brewery in Fremantle and another at the Mosman Park Town Hall.
In 2006, I held an exhibition at a central Florist in Floreat and was fortunate enough to have a sellout show.
In 2007 I exhibited at the Matisse Restaurant at City Beach.
I won the international art award - the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) that same year.
In 2008 I held a solo show at the Moores Building in Fremantle.
I became ill with CNS pain and spent 8 years bedbound, during which time I wrote a 5000 page novel “All That We Have Given” – one chapter of which subsequently won a place in the Atlantis international writing Award, along with another short story.
I was invited to exhibit at the Soho Gallery In Soho Village New York, but my health did not allow me to take advantage of that opportunity.
I won the Armadale Writing Award in 2018. I wrote a another novel for LGBTQ+ tweens but have not pursued publishing due to my health.
My health has slowly been improving in the last eight years, but I am not interested in exhibiting presently.
I have sold work to to collectors in many states of Australia, the United States, Europe, Asia (including Japan), and I exhibited on the South Bank in London in 2023 despite being too ill to attend the exhibition.
I am severely disabled. I was born with a left temporal lobe sub-arachnoid cyst and have no function in more than one fifth of my brain. This has resulted childhood epilepsy, prosopagnosia (face blindness) rather extreme ADHD, mild dyspraxia, the above mentioned CNS pain and bipolar one disorder. The bipolar required annual hospitalisations until 2014, and I have undergone ECT (shock treatment) over many years. It has impacted my memory. I don’t have any recollection of winning more awards, but my family assures me that I have won more. Unfortunately most would have been awarded before such things were published online. I am unsure of the total and lost the physical plaques for the awards during the haze of my illness, which has lasted for eighteen years. However, I am functional a few days a week and often attend life drawing – I have sold dozens of fast life drawings to the models themselves, which is, I gather, quite unusual. My bipolar is now far more manageable and I no longer requite ECT.
Presently I am engaged in illustrating a graphic novel that I have written.
It concerns the darkest of subjects, but because I’m an Aussie, the dialogue is hilarious because THAT’S HOW WE DEAL WITH ADVERSITY. It’s a tradition I’m proud to carry on.
I am half way through the illustration of the graphic novel. I am painting or drawing each panel to the best of my ability and it is some of my most powerful work.
My ambition is to create one of the most beautiful books in the world.
Sometimes I paint in public, and every now and then people will cry when they see my work.
I hold that to be the greatest honour an artist can receive.