Paul Mathieson

Paul Mathieson was born in England in 1949. He received his Bachelor of Art and Education (First Class Honours) from the University of Nottingham. He received his Master’s Art and Education from the University of London, England in 1978. Paul and his wife, Vicky, moved to New Brunswick in 1975 where he taught art until his retirement in 2006. Paul has continually painted and exhibited throughout his teaching career, but he now paints full time.

Paul and his wife have travelled extensively throughout Canada, United States, Britain, France, Iceland, Ghana, and Nigeria. Paul worked as a musician with a poetry theatre group in England, collaborating with noted British poets Adrian Mitchell and Keith Knowles.

Paul was manager of the Lane Art Gallery, Bradford, England 1968-1970. The gallery represented David Hockney, Geri Morgan, and Ralph Steadman, among others. He began exhibiting his work while still a student, most notably at Nottingham Playhouse, Graffiti Gallery and Zella 9 Gallery in London.

Once in New Brunswick, Paul exhibited at the Peter Buckland Gallery, the Saint John Arts Centre, Spicer Merrifield Gallery, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Galerie Citron and Opus 11 in Montreal, and more. Paul’s work is part of numerous important collections, including the New Brunswick Art Bank, the New Brunswick Museum, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the University of New Brunswick, and more.

In 1990, Paul was one of twelve Canadian artists invited to exhibit at El Mes de la Cultura in Havana, Cuba. In June 2009, he was shortlisted for the prestigious Strathbutler Award, and in 2015, he was the recipient of said award.

“Paul Mathieson’s vision is unique: it draws inspiration from a myriad of sources: the Blues, poetry, the latest news headlines, people and the city around him…all of these elements coming together in an amalgamated layering of colour, shape and ideas, resulting in mysterious and darkly complex images that leave the viewer to gradually peel away the many layers of meaning.” - Peter Buckland