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Paula De Sousa is a mixed media, process painter. She predominantly prefers to work on paper due to its smooth surface which feels more suited to manipulation. It is accessible and uncomplicated. Paula is interested in vulnerability, in visibility and perceived beauty and imperfections and what emerges in her work often display themes of resilience, connection, breakdown, transformation, recovery and power. Throughout her life, Paula has worked alongside people with vulnerabilities and she is shaped by these, and her own personal experiences. She feels a strong connection to nature, wildlife, spirit, and the feminine and these subjects often make an appearance in her art work, often symbolically.
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She will often start a piece with an outline of a basic drawing which she then fills with oil pastels. This is then layered with acrylic or gouache paint over the top. She scratches away at the surface to reveal an imprint. Texture is important and she will often use discarded paintings as part of the art works. Everything is renewed. The process is important and she allows herself to work intuitively, allowing her emotions and instincts to guide her. She occasionally works on
an easel but prefers a flat horizontal surface, either on the floor or a table. Paula’s work is often layered, revealing and concealing. She doesn’t know what the piece will look like. It is this revelation that fascinates and intrigues her. Paula has a strong belief in the intrinsic creativity of each individual and healing benefits of art making.
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