Paula Villanova

– About the Artist – Paula Villanova grew up in a time and place where seeing original art and spaces in which to make art almost seemed like a rarity and luxury. There was no internet, weekly art class felt like an oasis, and most of the people we knew were not artists and didn’t seem to have original art in their homes. Gratefully, with parents who recognized my clear drive to make art, and even thought I could draw! (kind of a big deal to them), They decided that they would support my desire for an art school education after High School.

Paula received a B.F.A. in Visual Design from Southeastern Massachusetts University (now UMASS Dartmouth), although she started out at Westfield State College (now University) for two years with concentration in painting.

Paula held several art related jobs both in advertising agencies and design studios and then worked as a freelance artist early on, then later decided to follow a different path and to take non-art jobs but continue to do my studio work completely separate from my employment.

Paula continues to win exhibition space in juried shows, and have been the recipient of multiple awards, including a Best In Show for the North River Arts Society Festival of the Arts poster contest in 2023.

– From the Artist – I don’t think I go anywhere in the course of my day(s) without seeing at least one thing or vignette that looks like it would be a wonderful image in paint on a canvas. The trick is to convey that fraction of a scene into something that pleases me, and with any luck, others too. Sometimes, it’s the people in a space that I wish to portray. We all share the same world, we just often see it differently. I have traveled to many interesting places around the world, but I’ve learned that I don’t need to travel to find a subject that would make a good painting. I paint in acrylics, both plein-air and in the studio.