Paul Balmer was born and raised in South Africa. He then studied art in Australia but he has described his move to New York as the pivotal turning point in his career. There the city itself became the subject of his often large scale paintings. He is best known for his process - a confluence of techniques combining traditional painting with the non-traditional use of power tools. His canvases, delighting in surface texture and incised line. Balmer’s cityscapes capture both the frenetic pace of urban life as well as the grand scale of the built environment.
With the move to Connecticut and the starting of a family, came the addition of the painted still life - with everyday objects taking on new dimensions through subtle distortions and changes in perspective. The same worked surfaces and the scored line as the cityscape series but now with patterns, subtle color and a different approach to light and shadow.
Skyline
Oil on Canvas
46h x 34w in
By the Sea
Oil on panel
36h x 36w in
Summer Sunset
Oil on Canvas
36h x 36w in
Brooklyn Bridge Night
Oil on Canvas
18h x 40w in
High Summer
Oil on panel
30h x 30w in
Moonlit Night
Oil on panel
48h x 48w in
Early Sunrise
Oil on panel
48h x 50w in
French Table
Oil on panel
48h x 48w in
Morning Tea
Oil on Canvas
48h x 48w in
Table In the Shade
Oil on Canvas
30h x 60w in
Empire and Bridge
Oil on panel
35h x 80w in
Paul Balmer was born and raised in South Africa. At seventeen he
moved to Australia where he studied Fine Art at the Drawing School
in Sydney and Graphic Design at the Sydney Institute of Technology.
After university Paul spent several years working in illustration and
advertising in Australia and America. Paul eventually left commercial
art and moved to Europe to pursue his passion for painting. While
living and traveling through England, Italy and France he explored
various subject matters but was always drawn to Neoclassical
architecture and sculpture. This exploration lead to Paul’s first gallery
shows in London and Boston featuring large scale Neoclassical
paintings. Moving to New York City in 1999 was a turning point in his
career. What started as a journey into traditional academic painting
gave way to works of the imagination. His paintings took on a naive
and abstracted quality. And although his subject matter continues to
evolve, the colors, shapes, and primitiveness of his work is markedly
influenced by his roots in South Africa and Australia.
Paul recently moved to New Canaan, CT where he lives with his wife
and young children.
