Paul Bowring

Paul Bowring was born in Bristol in 1969. After graduating from Derby University in 1998 with a degree in Fine Art, Paul moved to Nottingham where he currently lives and works. He exhibits regularly and is a member of the Thingland studio group, located in the Oldknows Factory building in St Anns. Paul is currently collaborating with Matthew Vickerstaff and Charlotte Thomson on the Danse Macabre exhibition.

Paul mainly works with acrylic paints on canvas. Rather than pre-plan a painting he prefers to work directly onto the canvas with a palette knife, utilizing the figurative elements and structures that emerge as the paint is applied and thus allowing the image to evolve. Sometimes a strong composition emerges quickly, but often a painting goes through numerous transformations before a gratifying result is achieved. This technique allows space for the 'happy accident', the mark or splash of colour which completely changes the direction in which the painting progresses and helps to provide a striking composition.

Rather than base his images on actual places or people, Paul draws upon the darker reaches of his subconscious, which he regularly feeds with strange, esoteric and fantastical literature, extreme and challenging music and dark, thought-provoking films (with or without sub-titles!). As a result of this heady mix his work is often imbued with a sense of mystery, an aura of otherworldliness and the essence of Gothic Romanticism. There seems to be an underlying narrative in his images which is never fully revealed. Figures can be discovered poised in archways, caught between light and dark, hesitating or caught in a moment of reverie, sometimes pursued by the unknown and at other times facing it with resolve. It’s hard to tell whether these figures are even real or if this is just some fevered dream.

Paul's artwork invites the viewer to create their own interpretation of the events that seem to be unfolding.

Website: www.thepaintdistresser.com
Email: paulbowring@thepaintdistresser.com