Paula Decker Everitt

Paula Everitt was born and raised in rural Sussex, NJ, a town founded by her seventh great-grandfather. At the age of 17, she flew to Sweden where she began to pursue a lifelong interest in the arts and humanities, studying painting, philosophy, psychology and Religion at several universities in the US and abroad. Drawn to the figure and the perennial issues of the human condition, Paula’s genre as an artist is expressionistic figurative drawings and works on paper. She is a 2011 grant recipient of The Franz and Virginia Bader Fund and a National Member of A.I.R. Gallery in New York City. She has won numerous awards and shows widely across the US; her work appears in public and private collections.

Paula initially developed her art as a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts by perfecting her work in pastels in realistic human figure drawing. She then moved to large and colorful acrylic paintings in the Abstract Expressionist style. She then drew on her experiences with the human condition to draw expressionistic figurative drawings and works on paper. These works used charcoal, dirt, blood, and other materials to feature those who are often disenfranchised from society at large. Ranging from issues such as sex trafficking and abusive violence to those who suffer from mental and physical illnesses and disabilities, all seem to share an essential element: a disquieting sense of vulnerability and innocent suffering.

Education
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA. (Four year Certificate)
West Chester University, West Chester, PA. M. Ed./Counseling/cum laude
Andover Newton Theological School, Newton Centre, MA. M. Div./cum laude
Colgate University, Hamilton, NY. BA/Honors, Philosophy and Religion

Influences
Bruce Samuelson, Faculty, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Nicholas Kristoff, Author and New York Times Columnist
The children and patients of hospitals and schools visited in Haiti, Guatemala, and Malawi

Bucks County Connection
After graduating with a certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Paula lived and painted from her home and studio on Washington Avenue in Newtown, PA, from 2008 until her death in 2016.

Major Solo Exhibitions
Discovering My Voice as an Artist, Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton, NJ
Gallery at the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

Major Group Exhibitions and Awards Noted

2015
Texas National, 2015; Stephen Austin State University Art Gallery, Nacogdoches, TX.
A.I.R. Refreshed (curated traveling show, continued) Princeton University Center for Gender and Sexuality Studies, Princeton, NJ; University of Washington, St. Louis, MO.

2014
2014 Annual Human Rights Exhibition (juried), South Texas College, Pecan, TX
Transformed Viewpoints, curator Charlotta Kotik; A.I.R. Gallery National Members Exhibit, New York, New York.
Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2014 (Second Place, Works on Paper); The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA. Juror: Linda Francis, Pratt University, NY
The Bader Fund Exhibit, American University Museum, Washington, DC
Contemporary Woman Show (juried), Chico Art Center, Chico, CA
Sixth Annual National Figurative Drawing and Painting Exhibition (juried), Lore Degenstein Gallery, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA
A.I.R. Refreshed (curated traveling show); Ground Floor Gallery, Nashville, TN, ADORE Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Princeton University Center for Gender and Sexuality Studies, Princeton, NJ.
Global Issues, Climate Matters, Social Change (juried); Artrage, The Norman Putter Gallery, Syracuse, NY
Cerulean Art’s 2nd Annual Juried Exhibition, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA. Juror: Cindy Ettinger
Finalist, The Williams Prize in Drawing for Emerging Artists, A catalogue juried and curated by Artists For Artists Project
Works On Paper, Harper College, Palatine, IL (Juror: Shaurya Kumar),
2014 Women’s Work (juried), Northwest Area Arts Council, Woodstock, IL
2014 Annual Human Rights Exhibition (juried), South Texas College, Pecan, TX
Art in Motion, 2014, RIC, Chicago, IL, Juror: J. Rondeau, Frances and Thomas Dittmer Curator of the Modern Wing, The Art Institute of Chicago Liminal Communities,
A.I.R. National Members Show, A.I.R. Gallery, NY, NY, Curator: Lucy Li

2013
56th Annual Chautauqua Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Chautauqua, NY, Juror: Janne Siren, Director, Albright-Knox Art Gallery.
Material Witness Exhibition, Women’s Caucus for the Arts, Georgia, in collaboration with Agnes Scott College, Dalton Gallery, Decatur, Georgia.
114th Annual Fellowship Exhibition (juried), The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Group Show, Gallery at the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
A.I.R. National Members Exhibit, A.I.R. Gallery, NY, NY, Curator: Jill Connor
2013 Annual Human Rights Exhibit (Merit Award), South Texas College, Pecan, TX and Gallery 409, Brownsville, TX
Wish You Were Here (Exhibition), A.I.R. Gallery, NY, NY

2012
Exhibit Honoring Selected Faculty and Alumni of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Artists’ House Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Group Show, Gallery at the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Target Gallery Celebrates 25 Years, Alexandria, VA, Juror: J.W. Mahoney
Art of the State, 2012, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA, Juror: Karen Mulder
Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA. (Third Place Award) Juror: Ron Wyfels
23rd National Drawing and Print Exhibition, Maryland University, Baltimore, MD
2012 Annual Human Rights Exhibition, South Texas College, Pecan, TX
Body/Figure/Nude, Lexington Art League, Lexington, KY
35th Annual Works on Paper, Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD. Juror: Susan Bader

2011
Artfutura, 2011, RIC, Chicago, IL (2nd place), Juror: J. Rondeau, Frances and Thomas Dittmer Curator of the Modern Wing, The Art Institute of Chicago
Human Rights Exhibition, South Texas College, Pecan, TX (Best of Show)
End of the Empire, Grass Gallery, North Adams, MA. Juror: Richard Rand,
Stirling and Francine Clark Art Institute of Williamstown
Following the Line, Art Gallery at Philadelphia City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
Third Annual National Figurative Drawing and Painting Competition, Lore Degenstein Gallery, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA
I Have The Right Exhibition, Picture Cultural Arts at California State University, Carson, CA

2010
Paperworks 2010, b.j.spoke Gallery, Huntington, NY, Juror: Eleonore Hugendubel, MOMA
Wide Open Art Show, BWAC Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Art For Arts Sake, Gallery 125, Trenton, NJ, juror: Kenneth Kaplowitz

2009
Hopkins House Gallery, Haddonfield, NJ, Curator, Bruce Garrity
The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2009
Harrisburg, PA. Juror: Patricia Bellan-Gillen
Albright College, Four Pennsylvania Artists, Reading, PA., Curator, M. Howell
Lancaster Co. Art Association, Juried Exhibition (First Place), Strasburg, PA.
NYU Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies, Dreamwork, New York, N.Y.
The Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA. Juror: Rick Harrington

2008
BMPC Gallery, Bryn Mawr, PA.

2007
Knapp Gallery, Winter Show, Philadelphia, PA. BMPC Gallery, Bryn Mawr, PA.

2006
Wayne Art Center, juried show (Honorable Mention), Wayne, PA. Juror: Michael Rossman. Knapp Gallery, Philadelphia, PA.

2004
Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA.

2002
Wayne Art Center, juried show, Wayne, PA. Juror: Andrea Packard

Collections
Sussex Wantage Regional School District
Albright College
South Texas College
Tuberculosis Alliance 4 Pennsylvania
Academy of the Fine Arts
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Institute
Liberty Resources
Numerous private collections

Publications and Bibliography
Transformed Viewpoints, A.I.R. Gallery National Members Show Catalog, 2015, Curator, Charlotta Kotik
Human Rights Exhibition Catalogue, South Texas College, 2015
Art Review, Provocative Images Highlight Artrage Juried Show, Carl Mellor (staff writer), Syracuse New Times, Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Pennsylvania Art of the State, 2014, Exhibition Catalogue, The State Museum of Pennsylvania
Works On Paper Exhibition Catalogue, Harper College, IL
Article, Newtown Artist to Show in New York City, The Advance of Bucks County, February 16, 2014
A.I.R. Gallery National Members Show Catalog, 2014
Human Rights Exhibition Catalogue, South Texas College, 2014
Art Review: In VACI’s 56th Annual, ‘a quiet, confident sense of excellence’, The Chautauquan Daily, Anthony Bannon (guest reviewer), Weekend Edition, July 6-7, 2013
A.I.R. Gallery National Members Show Catalog, 2013
Human Rights Exhibition Catalog, South Texas College and Gallery 409, Brownsville, TX, 2013
Artists’ House Gallery Catalogue for Exhibit Honoring Selected Faculty and Alumni of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 2012
Human Rights Exhibition Catalogue, South Texas College, 2012
I Have The Right Exhibition Catalogue, Picture Cultural Art, California State University at Dominguez Hills, 2011
Human Rights Exhibition Catalogue, South Texas College, 2011
Article, The Human Condition; A Painter Takes a Look at the Lives of the World’s Most Vulnerable People, Gwen Shrift (staff writer), Bucks County Courier, June 14, 2011
Art Review: The Freedman Offers Four Solo Artists a Blank Canvas, The Reading Eagle, Ron Schira, June 14, 2009

Grants and Residencies
Artist in Residence, Jeremie, Haiti, 2012 and 2013
Artist in Residence, Starry Night Retreat, Truth or Consequences, NM; 2013
2011 Grant Recipient, The Franz and Virginia Bader Fund
Artist in Residence, Independence Art Studio, Philadelphia, PA; 2010
Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT; 2010

Artist’s Statement for Shows of Abstract Figure Art
This body of work is driven by my passion for exploring the human condition. This has been a life-long need. My work is based on and inspired by several sources, including extensive reading and travel, and it features those who are often disenfranchised from society at large. Ranging from issues such as sex trafficking and abusive violence, to those who suffer from mental and physical illnesses and disabilities, all seem to share an essential element: a disquieting sense of vulnerability and innocent suffering. This is particularly true of the severely disabled children with whom I volunteer in Antigua, Guatemala, in a hospital/orphanage run by Franciscan monks.

On a trip to visit hospitals and clinics in Haiti I learned the phrase: “ Tout moun se moun” We are all human. My work is driven by my desire to understand more about what it means to be human. I am particularly drawn to people who evidence the frailties and imperfections of contemporary cultures, including our own. These drawings and works on paper generally depict vulnerable people living with disease, war and/or poverty. My goal is to underscore our common humanity. “Tout moun se moun,” We are all human.

Described as “raw and disturbing” (Bruce Samuelson, faculty at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts), many of these pieces have evolved slowly as I sought to find ways to express these darker aspects of human life. Beginning abstractly, with expressive gestures, marks and tonal elements, figurative elements emerge as the paper is worked and reworked, often over a period of weeks or even months. The end results are rarely foreseen; the process is one of development and dissolution, waiting to find what might come out on the paper. Sometimes the images come easily but most often they are only formed over time. I want each to have a dignity and strength in its own right.

It is my goal to create works with meaning and energy, texture and history. I employ processes of making art that contribute to those qualities in my work. I like the bareness and immediacy of drawing, the “delicacy and mutability” of paper, as I thrown myself in to expressing that which is on my mind and in my heart. An additional goal is to explore the integration of figurative and abstract modes of thinking, drawing and painting, and to push the boundaries therein.