Paul Sumner is a mixed-media craftsman hailing from North Carolina’s Piedmont region. For the last 35 years Paul has produced hand-crafted wood and metal sculpture from his home studio in Summerfield NC, just outside of Greensboro, where he resides with his wife and fellow artist Linda Sumner. His work can be found at galleries and craft shows throughout the country.
Paul’s work has evolved over the years to become an expression of all his passions, not just his love of the medium of wood. He began more than 30 years ago as a traditional wood craftsman, making jewelry boxes and furniture. His interests branched out to explore the textural possibilities of wood, then to color, and on to the addition of other materials until his work became truly mixed media.
Animals have become a dominant theme. Fish are a perfect canvas for his exploration of color, texture and pattern. Paul is drawn to realistic body shapes, but allow the surface decoration to follow his whimsy. Birds are another creature of interest, beginning with birdhouses for his feathered neighbors and evolving to freestanding sculptures. Paul enjoys creating insects, because they give him the freedom to explore color and form in an unrestricted way
Paul’s most recent work involves combining metal with wood. An avid antique tin collector, he has used a variety of animal and insect forms as a way to expand his palette to include old tins, which are outstanding for their color and pattern. The tins also allow him the opportunity to explore the possibility of introducing words into the visual realm of art. He likes to hint at meaning or humor using text he extracts from his tins.
