“There's a dry ironic twist to Paul’s paintings that give the work — while realistic — a postmodern feeling of reflection, observation and cultural critique. Somewhere between the Cohen Brothers and David Lynch but on canvas, not celluloid.” — Dr. David Salvage, artist, art critic

Fuentes’ paintings have been shown in galleries on the east and west coasts. His portrait of Hillary Clinton, My Heart New Opened, was featured in Creative Quarterly Journal and published in The Village Voice. His film work has been honored by CLIO, the Art Directors Club, The International Film and Television Awards, The Belding Awards, PROMAX, The New York Festivals and others.

Paul’s paintings often blend modern life with pop culture references. A woman takes a selfie by her wrecked Rolls Royce; another takes a selfie (her last?) at Mount Kilimanjaro. Memorializing moments— significant and banal— onto devices is an ongoing theme. His portraits question the nature of identity and transfer to the viewer an invitation to be complicit. Subjects are often depicted in wardrobe that creates an obvious illusion. Putin, in a T-shirt popular with fitness buffs (“Sun’s Out, Guns Out”) is posed like St. Francis. In this context however, the statement is quite literal. Replacing familiar contexts with new ones, history may become fiction prompting viewers to create their own narratives.

Paul D. Fuentes is a graduate of The Tyler School of Art and Architecture of Temple University (BFA, magna cum laude). His design and illustration work has appeared in ads and publications including The New York Times. He was a creative director at HBO and soon became a director, directing TV commercials. He opened Huge, his own New York production company with Screen Gems.

Statement

Modern themes interest me-- the disposable versus the timeless, the cult of celebrity; finding humanity in a technological world where we’re becoming increasingly isolated. Capturing humanity in a gesture or expression can be beautiful. Combining contemporary themes in a classical style I hope to engage viewers into seeing something beautiful or cool and then have them realize this may be about something else entirely. Classic painters, street art, pop art, advertising, design and cinematography inform my work.