Paula Cahill Statement - Calligraphy Series Line and calligraphy have been used as a record of that which is seen or heard since the beginning of time. Opportunities to observe and record movement, edges, or sound with line surround me. By visually following the movements and edges of aquatic as well as botanical forms or converting digital sound into written notations, I create a history and visual record that serves as the catalyst for my paintings. Compositions are often created with a single, continuous line that meanders, layers, changes color, moves backward, forward, or connects back to the beginning. Advancing through the painting process is a contemplative, immersive process for me and I wish the viewer their own momentary immersion as they progress through the composition. I see the paintings as a metaphor for progression, a process integral to individual lives and civilization as a whole. Every day, I ask myself what it means to use line and calligraphy as a form of expression in the twenty-first century.
Artist Biography
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Paula Cahill pursued an education in the visual arts when she moved to the Philadelphia area. Cahill attended Tyler School of Art, Temple University and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts where she received Merit and Academy Scholarships. She also attended Parsons School of Design at the New School in New York City where she received a Merit Scholarship as a Sophomore transfer student. She graduated with masters and bachelors degrees in the fine arts in 2011 and 2009, respectively.
Cahill’s paintings are exhibited in the northeast and have garnered regional awards including “Best of Show” in the 2016 Celebration of Life Exhibit and Honorable Mentions in the GoggleWorks Annual Exhibition and the Abington Art Center’s Annual Show. She was also a “Fourth Wall’ top ten finalist at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2011.
A member of the Crane community, Inliquid, and CFEVA, Cahill continues to explore art making in her studio at the Crane Old School in the Kensington / Fishtown area of Philadelphia.
Education
2011 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA MFA, Magna Cum Laude
2009 Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA BFA, Summa Cum Laude
2003 Parsons School of Design, New York, NY Studio Art
2000 The Art Students League of New York, NY Studio Art
Awards & Honors
2016 Best of Show, Celebration of Life Exhibit, The Center For Emerging Visual Artists, Philadelphia, PA
Honorable Mention, Annual Exhibition, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA
Honorable Mention, Annual Exhibition, GoggleWorks, Reading, PA
2011 Top Ten Finalist, Fourth Wall, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2010 Merit and Academy Scholarships, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2009 Merit and Academy Scholarships, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2003 Merit Scholarship, Parsons School of Design, New School University, New York, NY
Bibliography
Publications and Interviews
2017 Create Magazine, April 2017, Issue 3 Curator: Bridgette Mayer Johnson
"Past is Present, A panel discussion with Susanna Gold, PhD, Andrea Caldarise, Tess Howsam, and Angelo Jones," Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, October 22, 2016
