Paul Medina

“As an artist, I try to capture emotional truths that we all share as human beings.”

BIOGRAPHY

Oklahoma born artist, Paul Medina, has been making art for over 50 years. He has always worked in a mixed media format, saying he was “much too restless” to be confined to any one medium. Part of the joy of making art is the struggle through the unknown of materials and new tools. The main search of diverse mediums has been to find the right combination to express his concepts in the best possible way. His themes have remained constant through the years. Capturing human truths, the ether that binds us all in countless ways, has been the overriding goal of Medina’s work. Through the late seventies and on into the early nineties, Medina flourished as a gallery artist. He was represented throughout the United States; doing many one and two person shows each year. Besides the many galleries that represented Medina over the years, he also exhibited at the Oklahoma Museum of Art, The Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, and the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. Throughout his commercial success, he amassed collectors from all over the world including writer Judith Blume of New York, the late actor, Robin William of San Francisco, and Yannick Noah of Paris, France to name a few. In the early nineties came a crucial period for Medina. He took a break from the gallery business and concentrated on developing a more personal approach to art making and refining his craft. This period created a body of work that continues to this day. Each piece tries to encapsulate how the artist feels about the world and the subtle emotions that we all share. Today, Medina continues to try new things, working with clay and wood and creates painting using acrylic paints and other mixed mediums. He keeps busy with numerous commissions and occasionally exhibits locally and in surrounding states. Paul Medina is mainly of Spanish and French descent. Although not raised in the traditional ethnic heritage of his ancestors, his work, in many ways, reflects the artistic traditions of those cultures. He has spent his life learning of these cultures that have, without doubt, marked his work in striking way.

ARTIST INSIGHTS

How are your background and life experiences connected to your art?

The Catholic symbolism that runs through my work is undeniable, although I am not a religious man. The ambiguous spirit I try to conjure in my work, is my attempt to make an audience feel the connection we all have to each other.

Who are some of your biggest artistic influences?

Nature, religious art through the ages, Anselm Kiefer.

How have you developed your artist career?

One piece of artwork at a time. Living long, working daily and realizing being an authentic artist is more important than setting the world on fire.

What does your artistic work intend to communicate to its audience?

That we share similar emotional lives and our commonality is a strength that binds us all whether we are aware of it or not.

Does your work comment on any current social or political issues?

I used to be more political in my work but moved away from it to speak about our innermost feelings of loss, joy, reget and other human experiences.

Do you have a particular story that stands out from your career as an artist?

After being a busy gallery artist for 25 years, I decided to break from that path. I want to live my life at a slower pace, in the studio first, take my time in developing my series, and accept exhibitions after the work is done. Not before. There is a freedom in that approach.

What is one thing you would like your audience to know about you?

The one thing I would like people to know about me is I draw from my personal life to create the intimate dialogue that shows up in my work.

Which current art world trends are you following?

Actually, I don't really follow trends of any kind, you can tell my the way I dress too.

Why have you chosen to sell your work in the 1515 Lincoln Gallery?

The only reason I chose to go with Susan is that I trust her and the choices she has made concerning her art endeavor

What do you believe makes 1515 Lincoln Gallery distinct from other galleries?

The personal connection with the artists she represents.