Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Reid.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I was born in the small city of Perth in Scotland and spent a great deal of my youth drawing subjects inspired by the art of comics, computer games, and movies. I had ambitions of becoming a comic book artist and illustrator, but this all changed when I attended Art College in Dundee, Scotland, and I ended up graduating with Honours in Fine Art, Drawing and Painting.
After graduating, I was awarded travel scholarships to Madrid and Florence, where I was able to study the work of my favorite European Old Masters first hand.
Since that time, I have been lucky enough to have a full-time Art career, exhibiting widely within the U.K. for the last 20 years. A particular highlight during that time was being chosen as the Official Tour Artist for His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales on his trips to Jordan and Turkey in 2004 and to Canada in 2009. Some of the drawings and paintings I produced on tour and afterward in the studio were purchased by Prince Charles for inclusion in the Royal Collections.
I also have a good few paintings in the collection of J.K.Rowling, who has a deep love of the Classical Mythology, which informs most of the subject matter of my paintings.
Please tell us about your art.
I create drawings and Oil paintings inspired by Greek, Celtic, and Norse Mythology. This interest in Ancient Mythologies was fueled by my study of the Old Masters of the Renaissance and Baroque periods in European Art and also by my love of the classic monster movies of Ray Harryhausen (Clash of the Titans, Jason, and the Argonauts) which I often watched in my formative years. A close study of painters such as Titian, Rubens, and Velazquez informed my investigations into the techniques of painting in oils on canvas, and I have spent a great deal of time at College and afterward learning how to properly prepare canvases as well as how to manufacture my own oil paints.
My interest is primarily in the depiction of the human figure or nude in a landscape or interior, and I produce a great deal of life studies, landscape drawings, etc. in order to achieve this. Some of these studies then become independent works of Art in their own right. Both the large, finished oil paintings and the studies are then exhibited so that people can see how my Mythological paintings were constructed.
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
I mostly define success on my own terms i.e., does the painting fulfill my expectations of it- am I proud to have put my name to it? Also, a feeling of progression and improvement are important to me as is the aim of trying to ensure that as many people as possible can see and hopefully enjoy the work.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Details of the Galleries that exhibit my work in the U.K. can be found on my website – paulreidart.co.uk.
My next solo exhibition will be at The Scottish Gallery, Dundas Street, Edinburgh in November 2019.
I also regularly post process shots of my work on Instagram – @paulreidartist and on Twitter – @Minotaur_Man.
Contact Info:
- Website: paulreidart.co.uk
- Email: pjreid90@live.co.uk
- Instagram: @paulreidartist
- Twitter: @Minotaur_Man
Image Credit:
Paul Reid
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