Paul is a full time artist and designer. Following a major commission from the Church of England, Diocese of Oxford, his religious paintings have been exhibited in Church House, Oxford, New Greenham Arts and the beautiful and enchanting Douai Abbey. Forthcoming exhibitions include prestigious venues such as York Minster, Wells Cathedral, Sheffield Catholic Cathedral and a two-month exhibition that will fill the entire Chapter House at Lincoln Cathedral. Following a smaller commission from the Diocese of Oxford (4 paintings), Paul was asked in October 2001 to undertake what turned out to be a further 23 paintings derived from readings from the New Testament. This took nearly 2 years to complete and the book 'The Life of Jesus through the eyes of an Artist' is published in the late summer of 2004 by BRF. If you would like to find out more please visit www.stepintothepicture.co.uk

'Calming the Storm'
Gouache and watercolour on Arches acid free rag paper.
“I enjoyed painting 'Calming the Storm' tremendously. It depicts the passage when Jesus sets out across Lake Galilee and suddenly a storm blows up. I wanted to show the panic in the disciples; they let go of the oars, one gives up hope altogether and one sets off a distress flare. On the mast they have hoisted the international flag signal for 'I need assistance'. Jesus sleeps clamly in the bow of the boat until woken by the fretful disciples who plead for his help...”

'Peroxide Blonde with Temporary Fence'
Oil on Canvas.
“I am interested in order and chaos and I use painting to reflect this together with aspects of my life. This large diamond was completed during a dispute with a neighbour over a fence - hence its title and its frame of fence posts. The elements of order and chaos are slowly built up with both chance and planning until the right balance of colour and action is achieved. Working on both the floor and at the easel using oils, acrylics and additive painting mediums, I like to feel the presence of a large painting even when my back is turned.”

'Red Green Blue'
This is an entirely digital piece, created on a Macintosh using Photoshop, Painter and Illustrator. “I am interested in the combination of pictures and words in the digital field and I use these elements as items to move around the surface. Collecting bits and pieces such as scans of jigsaw pieces, pictures of fish (that came from a design pitch for an angling exhibition) added areas of colour and texture are freely applied and the approach to a digital piece is exactly the same as if it was a painting. I like the idea of scale and 'Red Green Blue' is quite big (A1) and also the concept of risk, so I don't use the 'Undo' or 'history palette' too often.”