Inspired by Abstract Expressionism and driven by deep curiosity, artist Michael Pauker has created an expansive oeuvre that is inclusive of abstract and figurative paintings, landscapes, sculptures, prints and collages constructed with scraps of aging historical documents, watercolor paints and found objects.
“As an artist, I am not a one-trick pony,” he has said. “Some artists find success doing one thing and stick just with it. But my curiosity is omnivorous. I’m driven by images I’ve never seen before, both abstract and figurative.”
Born in 1957 in New York, Pauker knew he wanted to be an artist from the age of 15. He earned his BFA from the State University of New York (SUNY), then in 1989, completed his MFA at Mills College (now Mills College at Northeastern University) in Oakland where he was awarded the City of Oakland Fellowship in Painting.
Since 1988, Pauker has lived and worked in the Bay Area, teaching art in various venues such as schools, colleges and institutions including the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, the state’s prison hospital, for several years. When he isn’t teaching, Pauker focuses on creating art — the mediums of which can change by the moment.
While he works in oil on canvas for most of his paintings, Pauker is also known for his “Miniature Collage” series. He has worked on this series for more than a decade. Other works include abstract drawings and figurative watercolors blended with collages of vintage paper, stamps and found objects — his Oesterreich II is an example of the latter.
Pauker has exhibited widely across the United States, Japan and Costa Rica, and his works are held in the public collections of many institutions including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Find authentic Michael Pauker art on 1stDibs.
"Grindelwald" Small Collage by Michael Pauker
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
"Grindelwa" Small Collage by Michael Pauker Small abstract paper collage by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b. 1957). This piece is created from a few pieces of antique pa...
Gold Leaf
"No. 3080" Miniature Collage Currency by Michael Pauker
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
"No. 3080" Miniature Collage Currency by Michael Pauker Miniature abstract paper collage by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b. 1957). This pie...
Paper, Ink
"No. 2710" Small Collage Currency by Michael Pauker
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
Small abstract paper collage in teal and white by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b. 1957). This piece is created from a few pieces of antique...
Paper, Ink, Printer's Ink
"Rahway III" Small Collage by Michael Pauker
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
Small abstract paper collage in chalkboard black by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b. 1957). This piece is created from a few pieces of antique paper, assembled in an aesthetically pleasing ratio, with a stark contrast between codex marks on a black background. These are all numbered sequentially, into the thousands - Pauker created a series of these pieces over the course of a decade. Numbered and titled, "Rahway," on verso . Acquired with a collection of the artist's work. Presented in a new mat with foamcore backing. Paper size: 7.75"H x 4.75"W Mat size: 13"H x10"W “I’m driven by curiosity...where it comes from I can’t tell you; it’s just there. And early 20th-century modernist art is the thing that I keep returning to.” - Michael Pauker Bay Area artist and art educator Michael Pauker was born in New York in 1957 and knew he wanted to be an artist from the age of 15. He earned a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts at SUNY Purchase in his native state of New York. In 1989 he went on to earn an M.F.A at Mills College in Oakland and was awarded the City of Oakland Artist Fellowship in Painting. He has been a Bay Area resident since 1988. His work has been exhibited widely across the U.S., as well as in Japan and Costa Rica, and is included in the collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Exhibitions include: 2007 Contemporary Art Museum, San Jose, Costa Rica 2007 “The Ebay Art Project,” Works/San Jose, San Jose, CA 2003 “Found Imagery: The Art of Collage,” Fresno Art Museum,Fresno, CA 2003 “Cut, Copy, Paste,” De Saisset Museum, Santa Clara, CA 2003 “20th Annual Exhibition,” Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA 2002 “40 by 40,” Adam Baumgold Gallery, N.Y., NY 2002 “Works on Paper,” Bryant St. Gallery, Palo Alto, CA 2002 Dolby Chadwick Gallery...
Paper, Ink, Printer's Ink
"Codex Asien" Small Collage by Michael Pauker
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
Small abstract paper collage in chalkboard black by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b. 1957). This piece is created from a few pieces of antique paper, assembled in an aesthetically pleasing ratio, with a stark contrast between codex marks on a black background. These are all numbered sequentially, into the thousands - Pauker created a series of these pieces over the course of a decade. Numbered and titled, "Codex Asien," on verso . Acquired with a collection of the artist's work. Presented in a new mat with foamcore backing. Paper size: 7.75"H x 4.75"W Mat size: 13"H x10"W “I’m driven by curiosity...where it comes from I can’t tell you; it’s just there. And early 20th-century modernist art is the thing that I keep returning to.” - Michael Pauker Bay Area artist and art educator Michael Pauker was born in New York in 1957 and knew he wanted to be an artist from the age of 15. He earned a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts at SUNY Purchase in his native state of New York. In 1989 he went on to earn an M.F.A at Mills College in Oakland and was awarded the City of Oakland Artist Fellowship in Painting. He has been a Bay Area resident since 1988. His work has been exhibited widely across the U.S., as well as in Japan and Costa Rica, and is included in the collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Exhibitions include: 2007 Contemporary Art Museum, San Jose, Costa Rica 2007 “The Ebay Art Project,” Works/San Jose, San Jose, CA 2003 “Found Imagery: The Art of Collage,” Fresno Art Museum,Fresno, CA 2003 “Cut, Copy, Paste,” De Saisset Museum, Santa Clara, CA 2003 “20th Annual Exhibition,” Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA 2002 “40 by 40,” Adam Baumgold Gallery, N.Y., NY 2002 “Works on Paper,” Bryant St. Gallery, Palo Alto, CA 2002 Dolby Chadwick Gallery...
Paper, Ink, Printer's Ink
"No. 602" Miniature Collage by Michael Pauker Period Typography
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
"No. 602" Miniature Collage by Michael Pauker Period Typography Miniature abstract paper collage in teal and white by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (Am...
Paper, Ink
Ship of Cools (#1318)
By Jack Balas
Located in New York, NY
Full title: "Ship of Cools, or, A Jolly Load of Boatmen Flat-Out Crossing the Mainstream, Some Being Kings, and Some Being 'Vagabonds' (We Await Your Applause) (#1318)" Watercolor, acrylic, and ink on paper (Diptych) Signed in black ink, l.l. This artwork references George Caleb Bingham’s 1846 painting “The Jolly Flatboatmen...
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor
$4,300
H 35 in W 58 in
Soft Skies - Original Abstract Oceanscape Painting on Canvas with Gold Leaf
By Charlotte Elizabeth
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Charlotte Elizabeth has been working with paint professionally for over fifteen years. Elizabeth’s training in theatre design preceded a busy career as a Theatrical Scenic Artist in ...
Gold Leaf
$2,625
H 29 in W 29 in
Gentle Shores - Original Abstract Oceanscape Painting on Canvas with Gold Leaf
By Charlotte Elizabeth
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Charlotte Elizabeth has been working with paint professionally for over fifteen years. Elizabeth’s training in theatre design preceded a busy career as a Theatrical Scenic Artist in ...
Gold Leaf
$1,294
H 20.08 in W 20.08 in D 1.58 in
David - contemporary portrait, mixed media painting, biblical figure, Italian
By Marco Araldi
Located in London, GB
Marco’s background is in engineering and architecture, making him familiar with mathematical design and the awareness of geometry.
Gold Leaf
$6,100
H 49 in W 67 in
Whisper - Large Scale Original Pastel Tone Oceanscape Sunset Painting on Canvas
By Charlotte Elizabeth
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Charlotte Elizabeth has been working with paint professionally for over fifteen years. Elizabeth’s training in theatre design preceded a busy career as a Theatrical Scenic Artist in ...
Gold Leaf
$4,700
H 49 in W 49 in
Stardust Moon - Original Artwork Deep Black Gold Blue Earth Sky Moon Outer Space
By Charlotte Elizabeth
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Charlotte Elizabeth has been working with paint professionally for over fifteen years. Elizabeth’s training in theatre design preceded a busy career as a Theatrical Scenic Artist in London’s West End...
Gold Leaf
Giardino di Rose
By Justas Varpucanskis
Located in Mokena, IL
Giardino di Rose, 2022 Ink on Toned Paper with Frame, 12.25 x 15.25 inches Transporting the viewer to Florence’s sun-lit rose garden, Justas Varpucanskis...
Ink, Handmade Paper
$3,816
H 25.99 in W 35.83 in D 1.97 in
USS Enterprise -Contemporary Space Star Wars Geometric Art mixed-media Painting
By Marco Araldi
Located in London, GB
Marco’s background is in engineering and architecture, making him familiar with mathematical design and the awareness of geometry. When he decided to create art, he was naturally drawn to cartography, applying traditional techniques such as multiple Cartesian coordinates and polar system coordinates to maps he draws. He is also deeply influenced by astronomy and navigation, frequently using charts...
Gold Leaf
$5,400
H 39 in W 70 in
Sail Away - Original Large Scale Oceanscape Painting on Canvas with Gold Leaf
By Charlotte Elizabeth
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Charlotte Elizabeth has been working with paint professionally for over fifteen years. Elizabeth’s training in theatre design preceded a busy career as a Theatrical Scenic Artist in ...
Gold Leaf
Old Gold Cigarettes Advertising Collage, Mixed Media, 1956, Unframed
Located in Douglas Manor, NY
6036 Anvertising collage for a 1956 Old Gold Cigarette advertising campaign 1956 Paper cutouts on a painted blue board Package image of cigarettes are from WW11
Printer's Ink, Acrylic
$4,000
H 45 in W 45 in
Faraway - Large Outer Space Earth Moon Stars Universe Black Gold Blue Painting
By Charlotte Elizabeth
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Charlotte Elizabeth has been working with paint professionally for over fifteen years. Elizabeth’s training in theatre design preceded a busy career as a Theatrical Scenic Artist in ...
Gold Leaf
$700
H 8.5 in W 5.25 in D 1.5 in
Monograph: My Life in a Column (book hand signed and dated by Tracey Emin)
By Tracey Emin
Located in New York, NY
Tracey Emin My Life in a Column (hand signed and dated by Tracey Emin), 2011 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (hand signed and dated on the title page) hand signed and dated 21-6-...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset, Board
Sold
H 16 in W 22 in D 0.13 in
"Anyox" Postal Collage Series with Chine Colle by Michael Pauker
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
"Anyox" Collage with Chine Colle by Michael Pauker Small abstract paper collage by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b. 1957). This piece is created from pieces of antique p...
Gold Leaf