b. 1991, Long Beach, USA; lives and works in Detroit, USA
Paul Verdell approaches drawing and painting of portraits, landscapes, and still life through chosen media of oil paints, oil pastels, and crayons, adding playful and textured mark-making to his two-dimensional works. Post-Impressionist and Fauvist influences are communicated through the abandonment of precision in favor of a more fluid form of figurative work, where unnaturally vibrant colors become flesh and limbs, and figures merge with their surroundings. For Verdell, it is the presence of the subject during their sitting that guides the conceptual framework and psychology of each piece. Focusing on the face of the figure rather than the full body, Verdell often chooses to fill the frame with the subject, including only abstracted glimpses of situational detail. A corner of a window, a small blanket thrown over furniture, or any number of natural elements peer out from behind the subject, grounding the figure within a landscape. His tendency toward working quickly to capture emotion results in the works presenting varying exposures of paper between the strokes and fields of color. This lightness is a prominent characteristic of his unique style, inspiring a feeling of ephemerality and fleeting exchange, and allowing the viewer space to explore meaning.
