WHO IS PAULA?
I am a mixed-media artist with a passion for exploration and discovery combined with a highly decorative aesthetic.
My fascination with colour, line, texture and movement has led me to work in mixed media, abstract painting, contemporary drawing, sculpture, printmaking and pottery over the course of my career. My pieces are always bold and often combine traditional techniques applied to non-traditional materials. After being a professional potter for many years I realized that the painting and design were paramount for me. I began to explore painting and mixed media and changed the trajectory of my artistic expression. I became enthralled with encaustics and fell in love with the texture and luminosity of the wax. I also immersed myself in other media such as watercolour, inks, acrylic, oil, textiles and collage. Life experiences has shown me how fragile life can be and I found myself drawn towards the masks that people wear to cope with their inner battles.
Mixed media is the perfect way for me to express the fragility of the body –– ripping and shredding materials and retooling them; painting portraits with dark moods and tones. I have become interested in block printing faces on fabric and paper and then stitching and tearing into the faces, creating highly expressive textured contemporary works. My works have been shown at galleries in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Montreal, Ottawa, Port Hope and Toronto. I have also taught both privately and at the Toronto Board of Education, among other institutions, since 1988, hoping to not just share technique but plant the seeds of genuine artistic curiosity in my students.
