Profile
escape from the disagreeable demands of the ‘Tree Rs’ replicating the images of the fantasy figures he so admired. Paul has been depicting these comic heroes ever since, with his work selling for tens of thousands of pounds and drawing admirers from Seal to Princess Diana. Fittingly he was the first artist licensed to paint the Marvel comic book heroes, with his interpretations of these and other icons of popular culture attracting wide acclaim at home and among the Hollywood glitterati. He said: “I was good at football and I was good at art and they were the only two things I was good at. My English was terrible because I couldn’t read. Tere wasn’t the awareness of dyslexia in my time. I used to hide the fact that I couldn’t read. As a kid I loved comics. Because I couldn’t read them I used to draw from them instead.” Now shifting his focus to more self reflective
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“high end” pieces, Paul tells me the celebrated images of luminaries such as Ava Gardener and Betty Boo currently adorning the Playboy Club are likely never to be displayed again. “I’m never going to be doing these pictures again,” he said. “Tis is the last time they’re going to be shown. I’ve sold two or three already pre- show. I’m not doing any more. Over the years we’ve sold numerous pieces for huge sums. I just want to change it up a bit now.” Having displayed a notable aptitude for art,
Paul received an invite from Harvey Nicholls to design their window displays during his first year at art college. From then on his career, and his life, has taken a fascinating trajectory. He said: “I played football for West Ham but I wasn’t really good enough. I went
ssex man Paul Mellia has spent a lifetime painting his comic superheroes. As a dyslexic youngster with reading difficulties he found an
tennis and we’d met a few times. So she came down with the future King. For some reason these situations keep happening to me and that will be reflected in my latest images.” Tis wasn’t Paul’s only engagement with
to art college and my Dad thought I was gay because you didn’t go to art college in those days. In those days you were supposed to come from public school to be involved in the art world.” Paul added: “My tutor pushed me and pushed me. My course was three years and I got a job in the first eight months of college. I won an award for a window design. Harvey Nics saw the window and they employed me so I was quite lucky. Tey used to spend about £60,000 on the window displays, which was a lot of money then. I was putting Harley- Davidsons and American flags in there. It was a great time. Tat’s how it started really. From then onwards it’s just snowballed. I’ve worked solidly from that day onwards.” Paul’s talent has certainly been a source of
great opportunity, enabling him to make a generous living from his passion. An Arab Sheikh once paid him a year’s salary for a single commission. “He asked me how much I earned per year and he paid that for one picture,” Paul said. “It was enough to buy a house back then but I blew all the money because I was partying so much. Tey were times I would never take back.” Paul’s life has been marked by the scores of inspiring people that have entered it. As a teenager in Essex he and his girlfriend used to babysit for Ronnie Wood, who would go on to join Te Rolling Stones. He has become firm friends with Seal and has, over the years, built up a client base that has included such disparate figures as Nancy Reagan, Mariah Carey, Tommy Lee and fellow artist Banksy. It was an encounter with a young princess and her sons that Paul ranks as a highlight however. “Lady Diana came down to the studio at one time with the two kids,” he said. “She had running shorts and a baseball hat on. She’d just come out of the gym where I was playing
royalty. Remarkably, even the Queen owns a Paul Mellia original. Paul explained: “Te Queen’s a massive Tomas the Tank Engine fan which I hadn’t been aware of. Te show was owned by HIT entertainment and I was the only artist in 60 years to be allowed to paint their pictures. I donated one of the originals to a charity and unbeknown to me HIT bought it as a gift for the Queen for £150,000.” In 2007 Paul personally presented an original piece to Nelson Mandela, which helped to raise £45,000 for schools in South Africa. Ahead of next month’s Monaco Gran Prix, Paul will be a guest of honour of Prince Albert II, as he presents him with a picture of his mother, Grace Kelly. Inspired by these life-changing experiences, and encouraged by a star-studded customer base, Paul says it’s the right time for a new direction: “I just think there’s scope for me to do more now. Now I can show what I can really do. My customers have seen some of the work and they want more of it. It’s going to be high priced stuff because the auction stuff is selling for £150,000 so I can justify working on it for two years now. Some people are even putting deposits down to secure the work. It will be religious, political and all the other things that I’ve always wanted to reflect in my work.”
KA-POW, A Hero’s Exhibiton, will be on display at Playboy Club London until 7th May. For more information visit
www.playboyclublondon.com
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