When I search for new materials to work with I never know what I am going to find or how it will be incorporated into a piece. I am attracted to rusty metal, old relics from a local farm or abandoned buildings and scrap yards.  Months or longer may go by before everything falls into place. It is magical to me how various shapes and sizes all manage to fit into a cohesive unit, be it complimenting a photograph from another time and place, adding to a Puzzle Assemblage or serving as a bauble for a RR Plate.

Why do I use the materials I do? I think it is my attraction to the unknown and the disused. Working with pieces of metal that no longer appear to have any purpose brings out a very base desire in me to make them useful once again; this time as part of art. Found objects, especially those that have been weathered by the elements and time are beautiful. I like to think I am adding to their beauty when I use them in my work.

Whenever possible I use reclaimed hardware, wood, or other such materials. The most satisfying part about creating the pieces that I do is the time spent with the objects themselves, the journey of discovering what is possible and what I myself am capable of appears to be endless. For me it is nothing more than a reflection of self. It is a collision of the past, the unwanted, and embracing what is here and what is now. It is my language and I am starting to listen to it. Starting to speak it. It is a journey I plan on taking for the rest of my life.

Biography:

Born in Illinois in 1961, Paula is a first generation self taught artist.  She moved to Arizona in 1981 and in 1985 studied massage therapy and spent the next 17 years building up her private practice. 

In the spring of 2003 Paula quit massage and prepared to travel around the states camping and hiking while looking for a place to live and to find a creative outlet for herself.  She spent the winter of 04 in Minneapolis and became interested in painting on tile and experimenting with other mediums.  Paula had made a handful of pen and ink drawings in 1995 and was still uncertain of what mediums she felt drawn to.

By summer of 04 Paula had covered most of the Northern slice of the United States & parts of Canada but it wasn't until she arrived in Vermont that she felt a pull to stay for winter. As soon as she settled in she began working with found objects and photography as a way to capture texture and mood.  Her work is an expression of her fascination with Vermont and the objects that are discarded in scrap yards, barns and industrial areas. 

In Fall of 05 Paula exhibited at her first show, 'For Arts Sake' sponsored by the Helen Day Art Center and won a juried award for Mixed Media.  She then exhibited in the month long Burlington South End Art Hop.  In Jan. of 06 her work was picked up by the West Branch Gallery & Sculpture Park in Stowe, Vt. She has shown in other local Galleries and is currently seeking out of state representation.  

Most recently she has completed well over half of 100 Limited Edition Collectable Clocks on RR Tie Plates, as well as continuing to expand on the  Puzzle Assemblage Works. In May of 2007 her work was included in a trio exhibition with a commentary by the Editor of 'Art New England'. Fall 07 she had a solo show in Waitsfield, VT and in early 2008 her work got picked up by another Vermont Gallery in Montpelier.

Paula  continues to challenge herself to find new ways to present photography.  Her view is that framing a photograph and sticking it under glass "suffocates" the work.  She is interested in bringing photography to life and using other mediums and ways to present the work that brings it to life.