Photographer and Watercolor Artist            

Signature Member, Colorado  Watercolor  Society    

 

Paul grew up in one of Denver’s typical neighborhoods of modest homes on modest lots, a nearby elementary school, and plenty of nearby pals to play with or just hang out with. There was, however, one thing that made this neighborhood really special. It was the trees, lots and lots of trees. These trees, always so different but always so beautiful, were his first real glimpse into the world of nature and design. 

Around the age ten his family bought a small cabin on Upper Bear Creek, and it forever shaped his outlook on the world and personal values and fed his passion for nature. About the same time that his parents bought the cabin, he bought his first camera. This camera and later cameras, became Paul’s constant companion. Over time, a collection of images took shape and a deep appreciation of the beauty and wonderful diversity of Colorado and nature was growing.

 

In 1955 he picked an issue of House Beautiful magazine and discovered the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1959, when it came time to decide on a career the choice was easy. It would be architecture.

Fast forward to 1964, with a newly minted degree in Architecture, Paul set off on a 45 year career in architecture, but a passion was burning, a passion to learn about watercolor painting. 

 

In 2004, as his career as an Architect was beginning to draw to a close, an announcement of a class in Watercolors at the Denver Art Museum caught his eye. Paul knew that now was the time to explore this passion and to learn this medium. 

 

As a source of images for his paintings, Paul reached back into his vast collection of photographs assembled over a lifetime. New places are always being added but the core of his artistic interests remains constant. The land, nature, and the simple elements of the human journey and the dialogue between them and the story they jointly tell.                                                                                                           

Artist Statement          

For me, two things continue to inspire me, spark my curiosity and inform my paintings and photography, Nature and History. To put it simply, I am in awe of Nature. The more I look at and think about Her the fewer words I have to express my feelings. Perhaps Henry David Thoreau put it best when he said, “Through Nature we can glimpse the Divine.” The never-ending, delicate interplay between nature’s countless variables renders a process beyond description but amazing to watch and thrilling to be a part of. Each moment a discovery, each landscape a scene so rich, so diverse, so cleaver, so amazing, so beautiful. When overlaid or juxtaposed with the artifacts of the human journey the interplay between nature and human settlement becomes a dialogue, a story. And, when put into the light, especially the morning or evening light or limited light, it becomes pure magic. “Reality” can be transformed into the abstract or a new “reality.” These are the things that move me. The things that light up my curiosity, fill my senses, and give flight to my spirit. 

Through art I can look just a little bit deeper and at least try to engage in the never ending dialogue and the creativity of it all.