Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Columbus
Hi Paul, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a self-taught inter-disciplinary artist. I get most of my inspiration in life itself. My first medium is people, a gift passed down to me by my father. I have always been a creative person throughout my life, however it was not until 2015 that I began to pursue art professionally. Creating and painting became a focal point in my life in 2013 especially when I began to use Art as a therapeutic device. I met my wife and soul-mate Jennifer Columbus in 2014. She is an amazingly talented artist in her own right. And we have created a life in art and love. Jenny has served as my greatest inspiration/muse. I often have joked that I became an artist to impress her, but the desire to create has always been in me, Life circumstances and Jenny provided the spark. I am beyond grateful for the life we have built in Art, and for the eternal bond we share in Love. We have an amazing family with our 2 boys Joseph Stephen Columbus II and Clive Columbus, along with our dog Nova. We also have an angel dog watching over us all named penny. I paint in-part to pay tribute to my father, with every creation I pay tribute to him, and carry on his legacy to “Live with Love.” Although I always considered myself a creative person and artistic it was not until I was 28 years old that the prusuit of Art became a focal point for me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Balancing grief and the therapeutic nature of my art practice it was a balance to incorporate the business and professional side of being an Artist. Being a self taught artist meant there were many long nights of trial and error and just finding my direction and voice as an Artist. Painting the paintings is the fun part but the business side of being a professional creative defiantly came with its own set of hurdles and learning curves.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My main focus on my work has been in 3 series of paintings beginning with the SAL character which is short for univerSAL Truths a moniker developed with one of my best friends and James Lano. This character was inspired by wanting to relay messages with paintings and the quick fun style of graffiti art . The next series I focused on was Phantom Faces which was initial inspired by my love of Cubism art, however I was struggling to “let loose” and then I began practicing the technique of a one-line contour drawing which made it easier for me to focus less on the result of the image and more of the process. Eventually a very uniform robotic like figure began to form which i can now make with consistency yet still each one keeping an element of individuality. The latest series I have been focused on is called Belief Systems, which has been intended to be purley abstract expressionistic painting with a trade mark freehand circles commonly found in patterns of 3. the Circles represent the belief system a pattern and the abstraction underneath represent breaking free of them. Conversations about belief systems with one of my best friends Vernon Foster, served as part of the inspiration for these as well as the artist practice of my wife who often creates abstract with no plan or pre planned outcome of a painting.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
My intentions with the results of my work is to be cheerful, happy, colorful, fun paintings that bring joy and unity to the viewer. I hope my work inspires others to find their creative voice as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paulcolumbusartwork.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/paulcolumbus
- Twitter: https://x.com/paulcolumbus
