Perhaps it’s his background in dentistry that inspires and informs Paul Art’s radiant portraits. But unlike the sterile and bright atmosphere of the dentist’s office, his compositions radiate the glowing warm beauty of humanity captured in motion or thought. Each color is thoughtful and bright thanks to his homemade natural pigments. Arts seeks to communicate non-verbally through the hands or facial expressions that can often say more than spoken words. The strong moments of everyday life, even some familiar faces, are bold and outspoken; perfect to envision as the finishing detail of an interior. His journey to his artistry is as colorful and interesting as his works themselves.
Fitting to his given name, Arts was interested in pursuing art school from the very beginning, but this would have to wait. Pressured to learn a “real profession”, Paul decided to study dentistry and spent most of his career devoted to aesthetic dentistry in which the harmony of teeth and face is paramount. Finally picking up drawing and painting again in 2011, he now resides in Mijas, Malaga where he creates stunning pieces as seen in ARVIVIDs online catalog. His experience in facial structure continues to inform his works and may be the reason for his taste in portraiture. Before painting, he searches for inspiring forms in his own photos, in magazines, or online and envisions what he can achieve.
“Clarity” is a perfect example of his attention to human expression. The luminous colors harmonize perfectly to create the dappled image of a woman’s serene face. Arts has mastered his unique style in celebrating the meeting of skin and light; a stillness that holds the coursing thoughts that lie beneath. This balance of the bold but peaceful is a felt experience of viewers, drawing energy inwards only to reflect it back with a renewed elegance and warmth. Another exquisite layer of this painting is the unseen story of the materials used.
A self-proclaimed ecologist, Arts cultivates and uses natural materials from his surroundings to create his many colors. He has been nurturing a food forest according to permaculture principles for years. It was a logical step to combine the practice of painting and growing especially with the knowledge of the polluting properties of many conventional painting materials. For example, egg yolks from his own chickens are used as an organic binder in his paints. His work is a testament to the vibrancy of this practice using as many natural materials as possible to create vivid pigments.
The results are outspoken artworks that glow with personality. “Feeling Swell” perfectly embodies that feeling of gracefulness and ease with subtle body language and fiery colors. One can appreciate each individual color as they stand out, layer, and drip with a relaxed energy to match the subject’s posture.
With such positive energy, Arts’ work is a natural choice as wall decor. Large spaces can enhance the clear and energizing presence they hold with minimal noise in the message they convey. Visit ARVIVIDs online gallery to see more of his stunning original paintings or invite that joy into the space of your own home through many sizes and framing options. From dentistry to ecology, these works speak of the complexity, bliss, and intentionality that art creates and reflects in many colors.
