paul rafferty I
f you were to select a handful of facts about artist Paul Rafferty’s life at random, they are likely to be more glamorous or exciting than most. For example, not only does he live and work in the same village that one of the world’s greatest artists spent his final years, he
also has painted murals on the walls of Hollywood’s well-heeled and sang lead vocals with a famous rock legend. It is a life far from humdrum – and yet Paul tends to play it all down. Paul’s focus is now firmly on his painting. He is so
passionate about his work that – inadvertently, as it turns out – he has immersed himself in the lives and work of his artistic heroes. Paul currently lives and
works out of a medieval studio in Mougins, the same village in the South of France that Picasso spent the final 12 years of his life – “It was coincidence,” he says of the decision to move there. He is also an avid collector of art and related items,
BELOW Artist’s Studio, Tite Street, oil on canvas, 66x81cm
importance of artists being more business-minded. “Art and business: it’s a hard hat to wear,” he says, citing the example of artists like Claude Monet, who was a savvy businessman, and his fellow Impressionist Alfred Sisley, who wasn’t. The support of Paul’s own collectors factors into the type of work he continues to make. He is aware that any radical changes in any part of his practice could make his stock plummet.
“The subject matter is incidental
including paintings by Edward Seago and Ken Howard, as well as studio furniture that was previously owned by similarly high-profile artists. His latest purchase is an antique easel once owned by
the famous Welsh painter Augustus John. However, Paul maintains that his easels are always bought for practical purposes, first and foremost. “It wasn’t because it was his easel, it
was because of the easel itself,” he says of the decision to buy it. “A good crank easel is really hard to find. To be honest most modern things are very throwaway. My easels are made with oak spindles. They are beautiful pieces of furniture that are a hundred years old and they still work. Why wouldn’t I have something beautiful like that if it’s practical too? It is aesthetic and it’s part of history. I am not trying to live in the past, I just love being around beautiful things if I can.” The 46-year-old is influenced by a
variety of artists and would rather have their paintings on the wall than his own, in order to provide inspiration. His collection started with a work by English landscape painter Trevor Chamberlain but Paul is not just interested in major names and he keeps an eye out for work by emerging artists: “If you buy what you like and have a good eye, it’s irrelevant what it might be worth.” Paul disapproves of using art as a
status symbol – “so many people see art as a commodity like a house or an Aston Martin” – but at the same time he makes no bones about the
Artists & Illustrators 13
to me… The way the light dances is what catches my attention”
MUSICAL BEGINNINGS Paul, who hails from Oxford originally, moved to Los Angeles in his early 20s, where he joined the Jason Bonham Band – a rock group started by the son of Led Zeppelin’s drummer, John Bonham. Writing, producing and performing music became Paul’s primary career and one he stayed with for 20 years, while he pursued his painting on the side. The self-taught artist had a
little help from his late grandmother who encouraged him as a child and later bequeathed him paints, brushes and a beautiful silver watercolour box in her will. “I didn’t have any formal training but I liked drawing,” he says. “I think the foundations would have been there quicker had I been to college – the learning curve for me was much steeper.” He says his work hasn’t changed massively since he
started out – his painterly style is largely the same, although he thinks it’s probably more refined now. Crucially, his
>
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84