BIOGRAPHY

I began to paint in 1999, having made this my intention many years before. With my four children grown, I was anxious to follow my heart, for in my mind I had been painting and drawing for as long as I could remember. Watching myself progress continues to be part of the journey.
I encourage anyone who has thought about painting to pick up a brush ...let the canvas tell them what to paint and remember to have fun.

Paula R. O’Callaghan

A little more about me…

My father gave me a beautiful set of oil paints in a wooden box when I was about eight years old. I loved all things art but was not really sure how to use these paints. Mostly, I drew with catalpa tree beans in the street in front of our house. I experimented with those paints very little as a child but then rediscovered them in 1999, when I began to paint with Robert Ault in his Saturday morning studio classes in Topeka, KS.

After Bob’s passing, I found another mentor in Mark Weber. Mark is a master Kansas City artist with national acclaim, generous with his teaching. In August of 2010, I participated in a workshop with Camille Przewodek, Petaluma,CA, where I was introduced to the teachings of Henry Hensche and Charles Hawthorne.

Born in Topeka, Ks I graduated from the University of Kansas as an Occupational Therapist and specialized in rehabilitation. In 2006 I moved to Lawrence and began to paint in earnest. I presently work at Lawrence Therapy Services, mainly with children on an as needed basis.

I am a proud mother of four beautiful children.

I enjoy reading, connecting with friends, learning new things and traveling as much and as often as possible.

I hope you enjoy my paintings and that they inspire something within you. I begin each painting with a prayer, asking the painters of the universe to paint with me and through me, especially Bob. There is a bit of me in each of them, for art is truly the language of the heart.