Paul B. Rucker 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For me, making art is how I "think in Pagan." I have been making art from personal encounters with the spirit world from a very early age, and have attained a BA in Humanities, with a special emphasis in Art and Spirituality, from the New College of California. The intersection of myth, theatre, ritual and the ennobled body compels me; I seek a visual language to render metaphors, and ecstasies.

 

Some of my work is outrightly iconic; other work is intended to convey an impression or atmosphere of a heightened or magical reality. My thematic approach is always grounded in the figure-- usually but not always, that of the human being.

 

I paint in acrylic and other water-based media and in oils. I draw in pen, pencil, and mixed media. Other experiences involve creating theatrical backdrops, murals, collage, sign painting, mask-making in clay and paper-mache, silk painting and costuming.

 

My most recent explorations are with mixed-media assemblages, which combine various materials with painted bones. I also perform face and body painting on subjects photographed by myself; the resulting images are further elaborated with digital painting techniques.

 

My work has been exhibited in the Twin Cities, Tuscaloosa, AL, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Chicago; and has been seen online, in print, and in other venues in the USA, Canada, Australia, and Europe.