Paul Wackers American artist
Paul Wackers was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1978. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kirkland College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C., and a Master of Arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute.
Paul creates paintings rooted in the modernist tradition while subverting the same history. As a lover of 20th-century European avant-garde painting, Paul has spent a long time deciphering and deconstructing the ways in which artists such as Matisse, Braque, and Picasso incorporated three-dimensional forms into their paintings. To this day, much of his work can be seen as an exercise in dynamic depiction.
Paul is inspired by objects in the everyday world and reconciles and reorganizes them into new bold configurations. His paintings are universal, but their signature blend of abstraction and figuration is clearly recognizable. Paul's paintings redefine the concept of the still life today. We are often captivated by his quiet narration and delicate style.
When did you start drawing and why did you do it?
I've been drawing since high school, almost 20 years, but it wasn't until around my junior year of college that I really made drawing my main job. I think I was drawn to it because it gave me freedom that I couldn't find in photography and printmaking at the time. It's the only thing that allows me to see where things are going when I'm doing them, which makes me frustrated with other mediums that are more process-oriented.
Your style is shaped through everyday objects and life. How do you explain your identity as a painter?
Yes, I agree with this description. The paintings are all about the familiar, but a little distorted. I like to give a certain amount of attention to an object without too much provocation or manipulation, and it will become much more than itself. Narrative can also develop in this exploration.
Still life is a ubiquitous subject in your work. What did you find on it?
Like my answer in the previous question, I love how a seemingly ordinary set of objects speaks to different things and conveys emotions and feelings through colors and shapes, overlapping moments, and reused objects, rather than being in them. You can feel the history and the journey. They're all familiar to me, and I think anyone who looks at my paintings will be familiar with them over time. It's a way of how little things fill life, where the ego is meaningless, but in a particular context, it means the world. Like a pin given to you by a loved one, or a matchbook that tells the story of a wild night, and so on.
Some of the things I see in your work remind me of the style of 17th century Northern Europe, but from a contemporary point of view. How would you describe the atmosphere of your paintings?
Yes, I like to think of those paintings. I've heard that many still lifes look so real and perfect. It's like flowers that will never bloom together will be in the same bouquet, or fruits that can't be ripe will be placed next to each other. So I love that they simply present a fantasy world with an ordinary-looking eye, and only when you know the secrets will the whole world be filled with the mystery of creation.
I love that you combine elegant technology with surreal elements to create space. What is the relationship between objects and their context in your work?
This is really important in my job. Trying to make these pieces seem effortless and impossible is a big part of my fascination with making images.
I'm fascinated by the textures of the pieces you paint, especially when they're ceramic pieces. Is it influenced by the world of ceramics?
Yes, very much. I've always been fascinated by the shape of the boat. Their usefulness, shape, and presentation are so natural and limitless. I love their connection to history. It seems to be an old thing and has never changed, but has also become many different things. But I also work with clay to make utensils, sometimes being painted, or just making some sculptural forms from my paintings. It's still a new clue for me, it's just what I've been doing for the last three years. I've only now started showing ceramics in last year's paintings.
The power of color reminds me of the art of Abstract Expressionism. Why this powerful color combination?
I don't know, color is a very seductive thing that can be overwhelming at times. That's why I've been painting a lot of black and white lately. I need to calm down.
There is also a clear interest in creating balanced compositions. If you do, how do you paint your artwork?
Normally, I just want to think about a very basic emotional or compositional question, and then I try to form a painting around that question. But for the past few months, I've been working on drawings and then turning them into paintings, and it's fun to have a solid composition before dealing with color and surface issues. I'm still waiting to see if this is a way to work all the time, but it's fun to keep all these pieces separate. We'll see.
How is Paul Wackers doing in his studio? where do you like to work and how do you work?
My studio is a comfortable place to work in Williamsburg, but not far from my home. I have high ceilings and large windows, so I can and do have a lot of plants. This space is reflected in many of my paintings.
Working in New York can be very stressful, and of course there are some interesting artists you love. Do you have any advice for our readers?
Yes, New York can get unstoppable at times. I love it, but I need to remember to get out of it every once in a while. There are so many great people who create great things here and elsewhere. There are plenty of great exhibitions in museums and other galleries here, such as the stunning Chris Ofili exhibition at the New Museum, or the Matisse paper cut-outs at MoMA. There are so many other shows that I can't name them. I'm really excited to see Trudy Benson's next show at Lisa Cooley in April. I also really like the work of my good friend and studio neighbor Matthew Palladino.
Winchin Gallery privately represents the original works of top international artists (if the client has other needs for the works of specific artists, we will use overseas art resources to find them for you):
Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Vincent Gogh, Henri Matisse, F. Kahllo, G. Richter, Willem Adolf Bouguereau, Marc Chagall M. Chagall, Claude Monet C. Monet, Rembrandt Hammansson van Rij, Guercino Guercino, Mattia Preti Preti, U. Boccioni, Lucio Fontana L. Fontana, Francis Bacon F. Bacon, Jean-Michel Basquiat J.M. Basquiat, Rafael Sansi Raffaello, Canalretto A. Canaletto, Paolo Veronese, P.A. Renoir, P.A. Cézanne, R. Magritte, S. Dali, Amedeo Modigliani, H. Bosch, Francisco Goya F.Goya, P.Paul Rubens Rubens, Tintoretto, François Boucher F. Boucher, Anthony van Gram A. Van Dyck, Francisco de Subaurão F. Zurbaran, Yayoi Kusama, Kaws, Yoshitomo Nara, Zao Wou-Ki et al