Paul Strahm
Paul Strahm – Full Time Professional Artist Since 1997
It is often said that when one sees a Paul Strahm painting, they know immediately it is one of his works before they even look at the signature. Over time he has developed a style that is all his own.
Since becoming a full-time artist, Paul has been committed to being a 100% plein air painter, where works are done outside, on location, from start to finish.
A small painting is done in two- to three- hour sessions and a large canvas may evolve over days, weeks or even months.
“Coming from the tradition of plein air painting, my smaller, more intuitive paintings push the envelope toward abstraction due in part to the short time allowed for its completion. This abstraction puts me out on a limb which is where I like to be. With my larger canvases the work becomes more contemplative. This is when I am studying — watching the light and shadow, examining the shapes and their relationships to one another, defining edges, and searching for the natural colors in front of me. My goal is to paint as vigorously on a large format as I do with the smaller ones yet maintain a high level of sensitivity to the composition and all its components.”
Honors bestowed upon Paul include Runner Up in Europe’s largest plein air competition, Best of Oil/Acrylic in the Carmel Art Festival, Best of Show in the Huntington Beach Plein Air Competition and having his painting Cabrillo Bridge acquired by the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego as part of their Permanent Collection, among others.
Paul’s professional career takes him around the USA and the world but has called San Diego his home since 1985.
Gallery
