Education:
BA in illustration, Falmouth School of Art and Design.
Art and Design Foundation, Loughborough College of Art and Design. 

" In less than 10years Paul Wright has emerged as an accomplished and immensely talented artist and a defiant standard-bearer for the fundamental qualities of technique, craftsmanship, colour and texture in painting.  Although he is clearly influenced by the best traditions of fine art, his approach is individual, contemporary and powerful"  Darryl McCarthy   - Paul Wright: Painting

Paul Wright has developed a painting style through which he seeks to create an energy beyond the establishment of a photographic likeness.  Bold, thick strokes applied with confidence and economy, rich colour palettes and wonderful textures. Style does not overwhelm the content, but provides a sharp focus to character and mood.  

Paul Wright  describes the subjects of his work as being ‘glimpsed rather than exposed, their inner selves hinted at but ultimately inscrutable’. "My aim is to create a painterly language using brush-marks that have a presence and immediacy that captures the vitality of the subject"    

In 2006, Modern Artists Gallery submitted Wright's small portrait 'Ian' to the BP National Portrait Awards, Britain's premier award for portrait artists, held at London's National Portrait Gallery. The competition judges and critics recognised the value of this work and it was made a finalist and subsequently toured to a number of other cities in the UK.

Paul Wright has gained International recognition with gallery representation and  his work is now in Private & Corporate Collections. 

In 2007 The Modern Artists Gallery was approached by the producers of the  BBC One Television Series 'Star Portraits with Rolf Harris' 
The programme profiles modern icons, actors, sportsmen and musicians through the medium of portrait painting. In each programme a special guest is invited to have their portrait painted by three very different professional artists, each with their own technique and interpretation.  At the end of the programme, the three portraits are revealed to the guest, who then chooses which portrait they would like to keep.
Subsequently Paul Wright was invited to participate. The sitter was  Sportswoman  Dame Kelly Holmes.

Literature:

Paul Wright 'Paul Wright Paintings', 2010, London
 

Exhibitions:

2010  Texas State University, solo exhibition

2010 Thompson's  Gallery London

2009/2010   Ongoing work at The Modern Artists Gallery Berkshire

2007  Modern Artists Gallery Berkshire   Solo Exhibition

2006  Austin Healey, Testimonial Portrait

2006 The TwoMan Show of Portrait and Landscape, Modern Artists Gallery Berkshire

2006  BP National Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery

2006 Thompsons Gallery, London

2006  Cancer Awareness Exhibition  Walkers Stadium Leicester

2003  4  visiting artist  Gateway College Leicester

2003  Artist in residence  Worksop College Nottinghamshire

2003  Present  Focal point interiors, Nottingham.

2003  Knighton Lane Artists Group, annual exhibition.

2003  Derby City Museum and Art Gallery.

2003   2004  Leicester City Gallery.

2003  Pheonix Arts, touring exhibition, "Decorating The Face".

2002   Knighton Lane Artists Group, Annual Exhibition.

2002  Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery.

2001  2002  Leicester City Gallery.

Collections

Prudential, Standard Chartered Bank, Accenture, Leicestershire Health Authority, P&O, Rutland County

Paul Wright  'guide lines' for Corporate and Private  Commissions :
For commissions approx 20cm x 15cm copper or canvas  from £2,200  +  distance other expenses.
For commissions approx 70cm x 50cm copper or canvas from £3,000 +  distance and other expenses.
For commissions approx 110cm x100cm on canvas from £4,000 +  distance and other expenses.
For commissions approx 170cm x 140cm  from £5,000

 
 
Darryl McCarthy reports on Paul Wright
The approach to Paul Wright’s wittily-named  Wright Boot Studio is unconventional. A
narrow doorway in the yard of a working Victorian warehouse leads you to a well-worn service lift that climbs slowly to the top floor, where this young artist has created a surprisingly bright and open space. There’s no inspiring view from the skylights; instead, it’s the array of Paul’s work around the walls that commands your immediate attention. His signature portraits are lined up like a welcoming party, their gaze coming at you from all angles. They number his closest family and friends, chance encounters and even those who have come forward unprompted to have their likeness captured.

Paul’s skills are widely recognised and appreciated and last year he was included for the first time in the BP National Portrait Award selection, displayed at London’s National Portrait Gallery ahead of a nationwide tour. The piece chosen is characteristic of his work: Ian is a compact portrait of a close friend that, although small in dimensions, is exceptionally powerful in content. Paul has a masterful technique: bold, thick strokes are applied with confidence and economy, using a rich palette and creating a wonderful texture.

Style does not overwhelm the content, however, but gives a sharp focus to character and mood. The viewer is brought into the private world of the subject to ponder on his or her inner thoughts; with little or no background detail, there is nothing to distract from the creation of a direct and, at times, even intimate relationship.

Paul himself is open, humorous and enthusiastic about his work, his family and, to his further credit, cricket. On first acquaintance, it is easy to understand how he manages to build a trust in his subjects that allows them to so evidently relax and reveal their inner selves to the artist’s eye.

In capturing character, Paul has occasionally shifted his focus from the face to look to explore the qualities that can be found in a person’s clothes, in particular shoes and boots. The way he captures the creases of a well-worn pair of brogues, or the folds and stains on a pair of the artist’s overalls again leads the viewer into the private world of the wearer. In the studio, this aspect of his work is reflected in discarded jeans and odd shoes, scattered rather comfortingly, as if in a student bedsit.

Not all his canvases are small and, perhaps as a means of breaking out of the intensity of his portraiture, Paul has embarked on a series of cloudscapes. These brilliant, open works give the artist breathing space and the opportunity to apply his technique and colour to a totally different subject.

Mastery of a fine technique and great artistic perception combine to make Paul Wright an artist of uncommon accomplishment and talent.
DARRYL McCARTHY 2006 Art Journalist, Art Critic and Art Collector