Bio

Hello, I’m Paul Spencer and I’m a sculptural artist based in Devon in the UK.

I’m quite new to the art scene and before making the transition to become a full time artist in 2020, I had a long and varied career in commercial design.

I’ve always had a passion for creating 3 dimensional forms and in my Art Foundation years toyed with becoming a sculptor. I was also a bit of an inventor too and had a crazy dream of bringing affordable and useful sculpture to the masses. With this in mind I decided to combine the 2 disciplines and in 1996 I graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a degree in 3D Product Design.

I got my first product design job in Istanbul, Turkey in 1996 designing luxury heating radiators and solar panels, amongst other things. Unfortunately my product design career was short-lived and I quickly found myself side stepping into the world of graphic design and branding where I worked in various roles until 2011. In 2012 I co-founded a creative design business called Creative Sweet where we created brands, websites and marketing materials for other businesses. In many ways I enjoyed my role here as a Director but there was something missing and I found myself becoming more and more creatively unfulfilled.

In 2016 I became very ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and realised I had to stop working for a while and focus on my health.

I’m glad to say that I’ve since made a full recovery. Whilst convalescing, I had lots of time to reflect on my career and realised that I had totally lost touch with my passion for 3 dimensional form and it was then that I decided to be an artist.

Artist’s Statement

I’m very much excited by fluid and spherical, sculptural forms and the shadows these forms create. In my work I’m fascinated with the challenge of transforming 2D planes into 3D objects. I achieve this by building up spaced layers of paper to create semi solid volumes that change as you move around them. The end result is more of an illusion of form than form itself. I also play with forms that merge into one another. My works are minimalist and clean cut.

Precision plays a big role in what I do - most likely the influence of my studies and career as a product/industrial designer. After initial sketch ideas/maquettes, I often find myself draughting a technical drawing of an artwork, much like an architect would before proceeding with a build. I also employ tools, techniques and processes that further satisfy my pursuit of exacting precision.

I work in paper as I like its versatility, warmth and its availability in an almost endless array of specifications and varieties.

Note

Tap me on the shoulder and I might just turn around…

Publications

Exeter Living Magazine - 1st June 2022 Issue 298.
Front Cover and 2 page article (pages 16-17).
Read the full article here…