Artist Statement
I feel I have an inexplicable affinity for colour, blending, tones, hues and constructed textures coming together in complex harmony; art that is ever-changing in light and position. I am the child of a Czech artist which afforded me a unique world view.
My approach to creating is first to live with a blank canvas in my home until I connect with an emotion. I then paint directly onto the canvas without drawing or looking at any images. I work in acrylic and mixed media, including organic gifts from the earth, such as bark, seaweed, feathers or sand. When I paint, I am transported to another world, bringing my inside world out and onto the canvas. I paint from my gut, the place where tension, grief, rage, acceptance and hope reside. I experience a complete sense of calm after painting; it’s a cathartic event for me.
Whether monochromatic or trichromatic, my work conveys a primal, earthly rhythm, sensual movement or form, and subtle complexity, inviting the viewer to look closely and feel the energy releasing from the canvas.
My studio is in Victoria, B.C. where I live with my paintings. They are a part of me, an appendage to my soul. Whilst having been said by some to be ‘hard boiled’, I welcome you to my life experiences and humbly share my art. I hope, as a spectator, you benefit from my creations. I am open to contextualizing my narrative on canvas, or leaving it to the viewer to make their own connection.
Contact For Purchase Enquiry
Ribbed Glass Collection
Artist Biography
Paula Callahan was raised on Canada’s West Coast, in Victoria.
But it was on the other side of the world where she first made her mark. Leaving the safety and serenity of Vancouver Island, Paula spent a decade through the 1990s working as a field nurse with MSF (Doctors Without Borders) in some of the most dangerous war zones in Afghanistan and Africa. Through this experience, she was witness to devastating trauma, human suffering and environmental destruction. During that part of her life, Paula committed her expertise, compassion, bravery and loyalty to the organization, taking on numerous high-profile missions. As a result, she earned great respect amongst her peers as an integral part of MSF, which, as an organization, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.
As such, Paula’s ‘bearing witness’ to a great many atrocities are revealed in her work. At times, her pieces are calm and hopeful, while others show a deep journey into darkness. Paula’s experiences of war do not reveal themselves as a specific art style, but rather as a movement of emotions, each one being a unique journey from pain to reconciliation.