Texas artist, Paul Meyer, is inspired by the expanse of his West Texas surroundings and the unconventional materials he uses in his paintings.
Portrait with Flowers, mixed media, 36” x 48”
“It comes from nature,” Paul says. “My love for vast, open spaces like the deserts of the Southwest and places I’ve lived. I am drawn to earthen colors. I use a lot of vibrant, saturated, primary colors, but they usually get washed over with cement, mortar and plaster. It all starts with materials,” he says. “I never approach a new piece from the standpoint of making art. I am mostly fascinated by the materials and exploring all of the various ways they can be incorporated into the process of painting.”
The son of a home builder, Paul gained an appreciation for process early on. “I grew up around construction my whole life. I worked with stone masons, concrete guys. I was always around construction debris. It’s a huge inspiration for me. I actually just hauled off a couple truckloads of concrete debris a friend was going to throw away; there’s so much possibility and potential in the refuse.”
Paul is a classically trained painter with a BFA from UT. “Before I started [pursuing my BFA], I was experimenting with non-traditional materials. I want to physically manifest and translate what is going on in my head using materials I feel a strong connection with.” Paul takes even the most unassuming materials up a notch by making his own, like the plywood he creates by layering wood veneers, fragments, and paints and stains, then tearing it all apart to reveal the interior gradation.
“Most often, my favorite works and/or the most interesting parts of a painting seem to just happen and are unpremeditated. So, creating an environment and working in ways that welcome the unexpected and discovery is a large part of my process.”
This spring, Paul will present his work at Market Hill for the first time. “What’s exciting about Market Hill is that it opens up a lot of possibilities to curate the space,” he says. Something his wife, Stephanie, is passionate about. “Steph has an impeccable eye in how she creates the experience. We couldn’t do this without one another; I paint and she pulls it all together.”
Stephanie adds, “We work hard to create a beautiful and welcoming place for people to find a connection to Paul’s art.
Market Hill represents an expansion of their business – which began as a leap of faith and a tiny booth at the Arbors in the fall of 2016. “We had a great experience at The Arbors,” Paul says. “We immediately felt like a part of the community. The response was overwhelmingly positive, not only about the work, but the environment was so supportive. The Arbors really nurtured us and Paul’s work. Our time there during Round Top ended up changing our lives,” says Stephanie. “We were eventually able to focus on Paul’s painting full time. We feel so fortunate to have started in a place that made so much possible for us.”
This led them to meet Paul Michael. “Paul came over to our booth one year and said he’d come to see a painting he’d seen in one of the ads we’d done that year,” tells Paul [Meyer]. “That’s how it all started. I would go over [to Market Hill] and eat, Paul would sit with me, and we’d talk about art. Our relationship began with a shared love of art and has become a great friendship.”
“Over the years, as our business has grown,” Stephanie continues, “we knew we wanted to find a permanent space. We are so incredibly happy to be in the stunning space Paul Michael created for Paul’s art at Market Hill.”
As for what we can expect to see, Stephanie says, “Paul’s working on a series of white paintings. And we promise to have lots of burros, portraits, and abstracts.”
Visit paulmeyerstudios.com and follow @paulmeyerstudios on Instagram to see more.