Paulo Ward
Q4 featured artist
I'm Paul artist name paulo. A Manchester born artist and illustrator now living in Lyon, slowly turning my brain into mush trying to keep the two languages in my brain separate. I like to separate my practice into three areas; The work that feeds me, which consists of portrait, landscape and design commissions. It's great and often I find inspiring work to do, but sometimes it can feel like money for sustenance and nothing else.
The outlet for rage, the pushback against the increasing weight of the boot that seems to be pressing on everyone's necks. These are small works of rebellion, breathing room for my soul as the world's governments become increasingly more authoritarian. As men in horrific suits sit in a collective circle jerk, congratulating each other on another billion made whilst the world burns, I feel the need to create an artistic equivalent of a colossal middle finger. The nice stuff, the works of art that serve as a constant reminder for what we are fighting for. I get to bathe in nature and curiosity, my jaw unclenches and the happy animal part of my brain is soothed. I can't stress enough the importance of this side of my practice, at least for my own mental health. I spent years only making the 'rage artworks' and the poisonous aspect of it began to chip away at me, the natural world will always remain a deep well of joy for me.
Studio Practice
I’ve included some rare progress shots of my work to show how it builds slowly from nothing. Between commissions and self driven work, my process can be quite different. It’s been educational to see what a difference a short, clear deadline makes, half the procrastination and doubt is cast away as ‘shit I need to do this now!’ takes over. The same could be said about works that inspires me, ‘shit I need to do this now!’ takes over again, with one subtle difference, the artwork is fuelled by the desire to create, not the desire to pay my rent on time. I’d love to be one of those artists that records each stage of the process, but little pauses in working to photograph or record my progress can soon become forty minute breaks. Once the train is rolling, don’t stop! (Apart from comfort breaks, meals and the occasional wander outside.) I work at home in our studio, lounge, second bedroom (all the same place). Which is something that works well for removing all possible barriers to work, which is what I need with an easily distracted brain. Sometimes emerging from the studio after a good painting session can feel like a grizzly bear’s first step out of the cave into Spring. I’m dazed, perhaps with a faraway look in my eye and my brain is up for no heavy lifting. It takes a while to exit this state and I am curious to see if other makers go through the same process
Inspiration
Nature! I have thousands of photos on my computer from nature, all taken to enrich my bank of source images. Don’t come for a walk with me if you don’t like stopping every fives minutes whilst I crouch down in the mud, probably looking for a good angle of a mushroom in our path. The natural world doesn’t only inform my practice visually, but is one of the main drivers in my more political work. Each tramp of an army boot, fart of carbon from a coal plant and blow to worker’s rights has a direct impact on our wildlife. I’d like to stop these practices, because of the indelible mark they leave on the planet. I need to walk outside and hear birds, see life separate from anthropocentric day to day because without that, I’m not really sure what we’re working towards. A comfier box to live in?
Challenges
Trust the process! When a piece doesn't look right or is taking longer than usual, I can feel like throwing it out the window, rejoicing as it smashes into the pavement below. This sounds like an expensive way to do things, so I try and trust myself, I take stock of what I have done to show myself what I'm capable of. This can do the trick, along with a little paint brush snapping. If I'm still blocked, a walk can do wonders, something to clear my head, with a bonus bit of inspiration from the things I see whilst out and about. I'm lucky to not suffer too much difficulty inspiration wise, I rarely feel a 'creative block,' that which stops me in my tracks is usually a lack of confidence in the artwork itself, frequently a commission being completed with a less than ideal source image. The photos that follow this text are some progress shots from a huge double portrait I painted for a couple in the UK. The source image was a tiny file, which meant I was doing a lot of guessing in areas that lacked detail. However I kept my brush down and head up (after a few swearing marathons) and just kept painting. Bit by bit the finished portrait arrived.
A huge feeling of success hit me on the opening night of my solo show in Lyon, 2021. People came! All of these paintings, drawings and ideas that only myself and a small few had been party to were suddenly in the outside world. To hear the hum of the gallery and watch people discussing each work, for the same people to approach you and express how the same works made them feel, is a high like no other. At this moment you can bathe in the fruits of all your hard work. I make art in order for it to be seen, to cause ripples and hopefully leave a lasting positive mark on the viewer. External validation from art institutions is what I used to think success was. Whether this be inclusion in an exhibition or winning a competition, I thought this was my silver bullet, the solve all for my struggles! It's not, the rare times I have been included in this type of exhibition have been gratifying, yet underwhelming. There is no event that will make you successful over night, just keep chipping a way at what you're doing, how you want to do it. The real success is finding individuals with whom this work resonates. If that means thinking outside the box, do it! I had great fun making mini versions of my own art, framing them and distributing them throughout Lyon. The idea wasn't to make money, but just to remind people that successful art is accessible, reach as many people as you can!
Reflection
