Paula Cahill, Charged

“Line is everything. Extending infinitely to the past and future, line forms the basis of our realities.”

I create linear abstract compositions that are often comprised of a single, luminous line that meanders, changes color, and seamlessly connects back to itself. As I prepare to paint, I mix up to 100 gradients of color derived from my memories of scuba diving among tropical fish on the worldʼs coral reefs. By repeatedly laying down the colorful gradients one brushstroke at a time, I create radiant, light-filled lines that change color hundreds of times, reflecting a quality reminiscent of the bioluminescence that emanates from sea-life. My work is interactive, inviting the viewer to track a meandering, color-changing path.

I strive to push the historical conversation with line into the contemporary and elevate the integral role it has played in art, design, and the sciences since its early appearance in rock and cave drawings. Science, personal experience, visual semantics, and art history all inform my work. Catalysts for my most recent paintings include geometry, physics, Egyptian art, and marine life.

Paula Cahill is a contemporary American artist. She is known for her dark blue paintings composed with a single, continuous line reminiscent of the bioluminescent light that emanates from sea-life at deep, dark depths.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Paula relocated to the Northeast where she received merit and academic scholarships while pursuing an education in the arts. She holds an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and a BFA from Tyler School of Art and Architecture. She also studied at the Art Students League of New York and Parsons School of Design where she received a merit scholarship as a transfer student.

Paula has served as an undergraduate critic and speaker at Temple University. In addition, she was a visiting artist at the Westtown School in West Chester, Pennsylvania and has given artist talks for the Abington Art Center and the Abington School District.

Paula’s award winning work has been exhibited extensively in solo and group shows throughout the North East. Her paintings are included in prestigious private and public collections throughout the United States, most notably the Charles Library Collection at Temple University, the PNC Bank Collection, and Brandywine Realty Trust to list a few.

She has worked out of her studio at the historic Crane Old School in the Kensington-Fishtown area of Philadelphia since 2013.