Artist Profile - Paul Tamanian

I have been a fan of Paul Tamanian's work since 2006 when I saw one of his sculptures on the front cover of American Style magazine.  The inside article focused on Paul's process with clay and with aluminum.  Sometimes artists don't want to reveal all their secrets but Paul shares how he creates the colors and design marks on the surface of the pieces.  For the aluminum work, he uses premium-grade German automotive paint, dry wall 

slurry, even liquid detergent - along with traditional materials like India ink and acrylics - over his surfaces with an air compressor gun.  He even sets work on fire.  "It's a scorched earth technique," he says, as resist burns off a flaming work-in-progress and paints harden in the heat.  "I build up the layers, then cut through and take away to reveal the whole process.  It's sort of like how the earth was formed."  He sands down through the layers to remove about 80% of the buildup and then adds a clear coat.  He repeats the steps dozens of times until he feels satisfied with the end results.  

Paul has a design degree from Florida State University and lives in Tallahassee in a house he built himself.  His work is represented by the Studio E Gallery in Palm Beach Gardens along with galleries in Santa Fe and New Orleans.

Dr. Gay Hanna, executive director of the Society for the Arts in Healthcare in Washington DC says, "There is a landscape quality to his work.  He draws from his environment, capturing the heat and verdant quality and intensity of Florida".