Paul Rafferty

"Orange Umbrellas, Juan les Pins" oil painting, beach full of orange umbrellas

2008

Paul Rafferty was born in 1965 in Oxford, England. Rafferty is self-taught but with much support and encouragement from professional artists throughout his career, he primarily paints on location in oil. The influence from the 19th and 20th-century masters is evident in Rafferty's work, along with several contemporary painters working today. Every painting is about the light and its play on the subjects he depicts. Having lived in California and the South of France, Rafferty's work is infused with an abundant source of light, each location being a staging point from where he can travel through Europe or the United States and gather material to express his vision. Studio work plays a major role in his output allowing for a much larger, more considered approach to the subjects gathered in the field. As an artist member of the American Society of Marine Artists and Oil Painters of America, Rafferty strives to communicate his view on both color and brush stroke. Residing between properties in Mougin, in the south of France, and America, Paul's work displays the influence of both landscapes and cultures.