New Works by Paul Honatke
June 1 - August 11 / Reception: June 1, 5 - 8pm
The Artists' Studio in the Foothills (ASiF) is thrilled to announce a solo exhibition of works by Paul Honatke. Paul's acrylic paintings are rich in narrative and speak of a dreamlike world where the viewer is invited in to float amongst the stars, birds, exotic flowers and coral-like reefs of the artist's imagination. Some have compared the wild dynamic atmosphere and illustrative quality of his compositions to that of Henri Rousseau... others respond to the joyous, playful quality and lyric movement of the works and compare it to that of Paul Klee and Henri Matisse. The characters within Honatke's paintings, mostly of powerfully robust and beautiful women, are hauntingly present and confrontative of ones inner truths and fantasies.
Paul Honatke was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania in 1966. He began taking art classes in high school and received his BFA from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1988. Paul spent his summers away from college, and intermittent seasons after school, living in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. While there, he exhibited in local galleries and restaurants, produced commissioned paintings and murals for area businesses, and also created flyers and posters for events in the growing town.
The late '80s to late 90's offered plenty of opportunity for travel for Honatke... By 1995 he had been to Europe three times to see the art centers of Paris, Rome, London and Berlin, as well as the more exotic atmospheres of Morocco and Turkey. There is a certain multicultural feel to much of Paul’s art. During the late eighties and nineties Paul lived in several different areas of the United States as well, and explored Mexico and the American west. During this time, he continued to paint and exhibit, while absorbing a wide variety of experiences that continue to influence his art.
Paul made San Francisco his home for a period of years where he studied graphic arts at CCSF. While exhibiting at restaurants and cafés, he further supported himself with freelance illustration and picture framing, also working as a faux finish painter with clients in the city and throughout the Bay Area.
In 2003 he relocated to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, he now lives in Grass Valley, CA. Aside from painting, Paul’s interests include cooking, nature photography, hiking and camping, and most recently, kayaking in the lakes of Northern California.
Join the artists at ASiF for a reception celebrating Honatke's exhibition on Friday, June 1st from 5 - 8pm with fine art, food, wine and live jazz by Gregory S. Young & Andy Armstrong.
Print postcard
Luna, acrylic painting by paul honatke
TOTEMS, acrylic painting by Paul honatke
