Paula Borsetti creates narrative abstract paintings reflecting her love of family, friends and the nature of New England.  Working primarily in acrylic, she borrows colors, patterns, textures, forms and movement from nature to create richly layered paintings that evoke memories and moments.

 

Paula’s training began by working in the landscape. She fell in love with painting then and that love continued through her formal education. She is interested in creating space and the plasticity of the painting surface. Being an art educator fuels her desire to nurture, learn and share. Paula has a full time studio practice and shows locally, nationally, internationally and online.

 

Her Coastal series is influenced by sunrises and the coast of New England where she has always lived. Her paintings reference the color, sounds, textures and movement of stone, sand and surf.

 

Paula’s PALS series is inspired by the battle her friend recently lost against ALS. Diagnosed at 25 he fought valiantly for 9 ½ years. For this series she states “I am intrigued by words. I am currently using words describing Bobby’s experience with ALS as layers submerged in the paintings. I am rolling these thoughts and words around in paint and letting them lead the way to paintings that resonate with a sense of strength, hope, perseverance and life .”  Bobby lost his battle, but Paula continues to use her art to advocate for awareness and a cure. 

 

Paula’s current series, Fear of Flying, is in direct response to loss. Finding her way through this body of work, she  dives into real and perceived barriers that keep her from moving forward, nurturing, healing, soaring. Moving paint around the surface, scraping, sanding, building, layering, drawing are all parts of her vocabulary expressing this particular moment in time leading to works that resonate with hope and joy.

"I grabbed 2 pairs of pants from my closet, one pair fit, one used to fit.

I've been holding on to the small pair for four years.

 

Was I more me when I was wearing the small pants? 

 

I traced them on the linen, one inside the other. I painted joyful shapes, bright patterns, the painting bringing me closer to understanding.

I have spent my entire life overweight and afraid to show that I enjoy food. Joining every diet program. Letting it play a role in determining my worth. Sad.

 

I painted a place with those letters from the diet as an acronym. A place to visit, get lost, never to return.

 

My list of “have to do’s” is now “get to do’s”.

Which do I tackle first? What do I choose to prioritize?

Does being a woman influence that choice? Hell yes.

Taking care of everyone else before myself.

 

I painted about those get to do’s. I let myself soar and it felt incredible. Taking care of me.

 

Do I have to wear lipstick to be taken seriously? I don’t know how to apply makeup. I have a five minute face. I painted a celebration of  my own lipstick optional movement.

 

Relationships are difficult. Spouses, family, children, workplace, self. Relationships with creating. I painted the joy in the difficulty, focusing on when cracks of light get in and shine on the beauty underlying the struggle. It feels pink.

 

Fear of Flying tackles barriers that keep me from soaring. The works are richly layered with text embedded, releasing fears, allowing hope to appear. Moments are celebrated in marks, texture, color. Compositions reveal a story unfolding with each reading. These paintings start with fears, words, anguish, screams, whispers and then on the surface resonate with joy, hope, gratitude."