Paula McArdle was born in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire in 1971, to an
Irish father and an English mother. From an early age, Paula has always been
interested in art. She spent days reading various children’s picture books. “I
remember thinking, who paints those pictures? I’d like to do that when I grow
up.” From the beginning, she knew she was a creative person, enjoying activities
such as writing, drawing, painting, collage. There was no real direction at the
time but she felt comfortable doing these things. As she grew up, she knew she
was interested in developing a career as an artist. She studied at
Newcastle-Under-Lyme for a year. During this year she gained experience due to
exposure to various art forums.
In 1991, Paula went to the University of Brighton for a three year course in
Illustration. At Brighton, she started developing her style that she masters
today. For her summer holiday in 1993, she traveled to the United States. She
taught art at a summer camp for a period of three months, which was an
inspirational experience; this is where she met her future husband.
After returning to England and completing her degree, she returned to her
hometown in order to build up her portfolio. Shortly afterwards, she began
working with an English greeting cards company, as well as taking on many varied
illustration projects. During these years Paula began to establish herself in
the world of Fine Art. As the demand for her original paintings grew in the
United Kingdom, America, and Japan, she began to publish her work into limited
edition serigraphs.
In her print work, she has been able to explore a number of themes and subjects. Linking back to the early days of her childhood and picture books, she tried to tell stories visually. She is always trying to capture humor, whimsy, romance, and emotion. Sometimes this is done with figures,or animals. She tries to present this in an abstract approach. At times veiled in nostalgia, and other times set in present day, she tries to draw on everyday life and experiences. Paula finds that the adult world can sometimes be a little too serious, and enjoys a light hearted take on certain things. The idea is to bring a smile to people’s faces or perhaps give them another perspective in life.
Although Paula draws from everyday life, her work is not intended to “be necessarily factual or realistic...” It is intended to be an essence or feeling of the subject she is painting. Rather than overanalyzing her work, she sometimes leaves her paintings open to the viewer to make their own interpretation. At other times, her paintings have more of a concept or intention, without trying to impose any thoughts onto the viewer.
Paula thinks it is important that the viewer has a connection themselves rather than having it forced upon them. She is always happy to share her opinions and thoughts with people about a certain painting, but she is also happy to hear their thoughts first, to see their interpretation of this painting. “It is always interesting to see whether our thoughts connect or they find their own direction for a painting. This to me, is the power of a painted image”.
Paula is most comfortable working with acrylic on both paper and canvas, as
well as incorporating collage and textiles into certain finished paintings. When
asked about her inspirations, and where she gets it from, she feels that she is
supposed to answer in a certain wayand pull out a string of artists who inspire
her. The truth is that while she finds certain elements of other artist’s works
inspiring (for example, Matisse’s use of form and collage or the boldness of
Picasso’s ideas), she finds her ideas in life’s little nuances. She also draws
color inspiration from non-specific naïve American folk art. She likes the basic
colors, the simple stylized look, the graphic qualities, the simple
heart-warming charm, as well as the textures and feel of a piece. Paula also
enjoys textiles and folk-style patchwork for the same qualities.
Over the years, she has been fortunate enough to build up a following of her
work. She has also had the opportunity to show her works all over the world,
especially in the United States, and Japan. She has visited Japan many times and
has had extensive tours and exhibitions of her work.
“I hope that all my work will connect with the viewer and will touch them
personally on an emotional level, or perhaps simply make them smile. I try to
create a warm and inviting journey for the viewer and hope they will enjoy
coming along for the ride.”
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