Paul Edwards: Obsessive Expressionist

This post presents the work of the expressionistic, figurative painter, Paul Edwards.

Edwards was born in Detroit, but has spent a good portion of his life in the South; primarily Mississippi and Tennessee. After serving in Vietnam (for which he received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star), Edwards attended the Art Academy in Memphis (now the Memphis College of Art) and eventually went on to earn an MFA from Yale University. He graduated from Yale in the same class as  John Currin, Sean Landers and other notables. After school he moved from New Haven, CT to New York where he drove a cab and taught a color theory class at the School of Visual Arts. During this time he had success with regular showings at the Alan Stone Gallery in Manhattan before moving to California for a brief period.

Since then Edwards has spent most of his time in the deep South living in makeshift studios in derelict buildings and garages. Edwards recently built his own house and studio from reclaimed materials on a friend's land in Mississippi and currently resides there.

Edwards' work is characterized by a unique, expressive depiction of the figure and an eye for detail, all locked within compositions that are violent and lyrical all at once. Generally, he employs a limited color palette that establishes mood while his obsessive drawing and mark making  provide an anxious counterpoint that bears the weight of his dramatic narratives.

Earlier subjects included street scenes and observed environmental motifs or highly personal takes on mythological and religious tales. More recent works tend to depict a lone protagonist struggling against insurmountable odds, as in his exhaustive explorations of  Bull Fighters and Lion Tamers.

Custer's Last Stand, 72 x 79 in.

Corner of the Tailor's Shop

The Last Supper

The Last Supper (Exxon)

72 x 79 in. 

In the Tailor's Shop

Soldiers (Vietnam Scene), 72 x 79 in.

Subway Scene

Bull Fighter Series

Bull Fighter Series

The Bull Fighter, 60 x 60 in.

Humpty Dumpty, 72 x 79 in.

Noah's Ark (unfinished),79 x 84 in.

Deposition from the Cross

Saint George and the Dragon, 72 x 79 in.

The Tailor's Shop

Subway Scene (Lorimer St.)

Pond in New Haven

 Lion Tamer Series

 Lion Tamer Series

The Lion Tamer, 72 x 79 in.

The Lion Tamer (detail of above)

 Bull Fighter Series

 Bull Fighter Series

Paul Edwards, at his home in Mississippi, 2012

photo: Paul Behnke

*Images of paintings are courtesy of the artist. All images ©Paul Edwards except for the artist's portrait ©Paul Behnke 2013.
**Titles are attributed by the blog author and are purely descriptive. 
***Sizes of works are approximations.