The desert landscape surrounding Dubai and the lush Hajar Mountains inspire many of Paul’s works; particularly the small, coastal enclave of Oman, the Mussandam with its stunning rock faces that through the process of time have produced a diversity of patterns, colours and shapes. Signs of ancient and present dwellings exist, mainly fishing villages that seem to merge into the mountains.
Painting out in the landscape is a great inspiration; the moods of the sea, the big skies, deserts changing colour through the day, The tools Paul uses are brushes, pallet knives, large paint scrapers and quite often his hands. Paint is applied and quite often scraped off then reapplied until he can feel his way into the painting. This process can sometimes take awhile before something starts to happen on the canvas. He aims not to start a painting with too many preconceptions thus allowing for the work to change and develop with as much freedom as possible.
In his words “A painting is a combination of many things but, for me, becomes finished when a balance of chaos and control is found through the use of composition, colour, movement and self.”
For Paul painting is just as much concerned with the physical and sensuous properties of the paint itself as it is with expressing a personal response to things felt and seen. Inspired by the coast and landscapes of Cornwall and The Middle East and India, his work is essentially about capturing moments, feelings and emotions rather than meticulously depicting a particular view of place.
In order to respond and create in this way, Paul prefers to complete as much of a painting as possible on site, where he is surrounded by the elements that consistently motivate and energize his work. The finished paintings are quite remarkable.
A highly likeable character who lives life to the full Paul is a serious painter with a serious following but such fun too.
