Artist Spotlight - Meet Paul Nixon

This month’s Artist Spotlight shines on Irish born, multi-talented artist, Paul Nixon.

Divas, Elementals, Fairies, Elves, Wee Folk, Sidhe, Ghosts, Witches, and Dryads are brought to life through Paul’s art as a skilled woodcarver, sculptor, and photographer.

Check out his enchanting work below, and find out more about Paul, in his own words:

As a young child, I would often stay with my grandparents who lived in a thatched cottage in the Sligo Mountains in Ireland. My grandmother believed in the fairy-world, and her stories, sometimes fearful, left a powerful impression with me. Buried close by is the grave of William Butler Yeats, a renowned Irish poet, story collector, and writer. Yeats spent much time collecting fairy stories from around this mountain range that, he too, left an impression with me.

20 years ago, my wife Francesca and I left New York to start a new life together in Greensboro, North Carolina. About 17 years ago, in an effort to make my wife's aunt Mary a gift of a walking stick, I discovered that I could carve wood. This discovery soon changed my life in a profound way.

I evolved into a self taught artist whose work quickly expanded into other mediums and became recognizable here in this region. I have created several bronze public monuments as well as creating works for churches and bishops throughout the United States. My favorite of all was being able to carve and sculpt fairies from my grandmothers world. I saw a means of bringing to life her stories and her inspirations in a very unique way.

All of the images here were hand-carved in Cedar wood. In fact they all exist on the same tree which is a sculpture in itself which I titled: Watchers in the Wood. My next evolution is in photography which, I believe you will agree, brings more mystery and life to my characters. My website; Home will attest to my broad range of skills and will also provide you with many more of my whimsical characters in my whimsical photography.

As an artist/sculptor I have been accused of being a bit of a chameleon, with my subject matter and style running the gamut from Contemporary/Abstract to Classical Renaissance.

I am a deep rooted visionary that is talented in all mediums which include wood, bronze, resins, cements, glass and photography. I like to feel that I am in a constant state of discovery, savoring the excitement of exploration and experimentation. My work is what I am
and what I know. To live without fear, to be open, present and aware. My passion is to inspire, design, and produce art that stirs the emotion and have a positive impact on the viewer.

See more of Paul's work at his website:

Paul Nixon Art
Check out his VIDEO
and
Follow him on Twitter @paulnixonart