Bio

David Pauls grew up in Oregon where close proximity to the outdoors and wilderness has influenced many of his interests and artwork. David is an art major, graduating this spring with a concentration in sculpture and a minor in sustainability. In the coming years he hopes to combine his dual interests in the environment and art. Though uncertain where this may lead some primary goals are attaining a master’s degree in sculpture or landscape architecture. Next year he will be is taking a year off to work and do some backpacking, planning to do a few hundred miles on the Pacific Crest Trail.

The natural world has always interested me, and often been the inspiration for my art. Much of my artwork on this website takes to heart my deep interest in the natural world, through an exploration of texture, movement, and form. The found steel sculptures explore the forms of the natural world in a minimalist design focused approach that examines the relationship of curvilinear steel pieces. These though not blatantly a representation of nature, seek to suggest characteristics of the natural world and manipulate space in interesting ways. The rusted nature of the steel is of high interest to me as it exhibits the true form of the medium and in many ways suggests an organic characteristic that I am trying to capture. The process oriented to the formation of my sculptures often does not lend itself to the spontaneity and randomness that my drawings try to capture. For me the drawings are more about capturing another characteristic of nature rather than using them as plans for a sculpture. They may inspire a future sculpture and relate in theme to the sculpture, but they should be considered as a composition in themselves. My work compiled together helps to show the variety of interests I have within art and how they have intersected with my fascination in the environment.