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Now living in Somerset, Paul Newman graduated from Falmouth College of Arts in 1995 after A-Levels and Foundation in Poole and Bournemouth, Dorset. As a graphic fine artist intrigued by nature, he works exclusively in graphite and is interested in detail, texture and tone inspired by elements of the ancient landscape and stories of Wessex.
His work is created by research into the nature and history of places that interest him; geology, ecology, historical remains or natural history. Walking is an important part of the working process, getting to know a particular area well, understanding how it was shaped. Much of his work comes from places that have an ingrained historical meaning or personal significance and the work is mostly a response to being affected by memories or experience over time in that place. He is keen to make links between the places that he finds and the stories that fashioned them. His influences are maps and writers, geologists and legends, songs and poems. Drawings and photographs taken in the field are then worked up into finished pieces in the studio.
Paul is also interested in how nature manifests itself on human objects, reclaiming and abstracting these forms, such as overgrown remains, weathering, seasonal change and decay. He looks for evidence of human activity changing landscapes into places, creating unique locations which can affect, uplift or threaten.
He has shown work at various galleries across the South West, including the Bath Society of Artists and the Royal West of England Academy as well as in London with the Society of Graphic Fine Art.
Paul has worked as a trustee for Black Swan Arts in Frome, as the event co-ordinator for Somerset Art Weeks and curated the 2016 Quartz Arts Festival in Taunton. He is also the curator of a recent touring exhibition, ‘The Transformed Land’ and has curated many exhibitions for Black Swan Arts.