Paul Hains

Paul was introduced to painting by his father, Eric, a committed painter and a member of the SAA; they exhibited jointly from1991 to1995.  Not many teenagers had the benefit of a father whose interest and ability to paint required a subscription to the Studio International magazine, a very fine modern art journal that ceased publication in 1992.

While studying at the University of Bristol, Paul won the RIBA Intermediate Portfolio Award and during his subsequent architectural career he has spent considerable time designing and preparing presentation drawings, especially as a Director of a major London practice.

At school he attended life-drawing classes at Maidstone College of Art and at the University of Bristol, organized life sessions for the Department of Architecture.  Since then his work has been based on landscapes and has always been semi-abstract, mostly extracting elements of an image to accentuate composition in two dimensions.  The use of colour particularly excites him, even when tertiary, and he loves working in oil paint and large French pastels manufactured by Unison.  He likes to let the medium take control on occasions.

Prior to 2003, life as an architect in London limited his painting to holidays and occasional weekend activity.  His move to Cornwall was motivated by a love of the sea and its landscape, which had inspired many of the post-war British artists he admires.

During recent years his work has been increasingly more abstract, with the confidence to work more intuitively.  For Paul, fine art, although not a relaxing activity, has always presented a freedom, in contrast to the exactitude and functional constraints necessary for the practice of architecture.