photo of me by JP Morrison Lans
Paula Bullwinkel Portland OR Age 64
What keeps you excited in the studio? Discovery, challenge, curiousity, and desire for clarity keeps me excited in the studio.
Looking back at your trajectory as an artist, how would you say your work has developed? It has become more personal, yet I think more relevant, reflecting the world in the tiny corner I know of it.
What role do you think the artist has in today’s society? To teach and to lead. Without artists, we are truly lost.
What’s the most important advice you could give to an aspiring artist? Work very hard as long as you enjoy the work. Don’t think about what others think of your art.
Does age matter in art? Why or why not? No, absolutely not. Children can make fantastic art. Everyone has the capability within them, it’s whether they are able or willing to or interested in exploring it or not.
What can we look forward to from you next? Many more paintings exploring doppelgängers and the relationship between women and girls and animals. I’m doing an installation this fall along the perimeter under a dome (Barber Library Rotunda in Bend, OR) spanning 40 feet of paintings of running wolves and foxes on 40 dyed thrift store and donated wedding dresses. The dresses each have an innate story, and are dyed different shades of blue. The animals are running all in the same direction in a giant circle on the various fabrics.
Is there anything else you would like to share about being an artist later in life? As an older artist, I trust yourself more and am less concerned about others’ assessments. I’m more focused on the process than the outcome, which makes the work more joyful.
paulabullwinkel@prodigy.net @paula_bullwinkel
Shoppers, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches