Paul Winker b. 1989 — Paul Winker begins by making drawings with his finger on the computer. These quasi-automatic gestures take on their own life, translated to the digital from his own hand. These digital movements become a source for his paintings. Winker’s influence is taken from earthworks and environmental art of the 1960s and 70s, as well as a Hybrid Forms course he studied in school. In these two, we see how Winker conceptually interacts with the world around him – seeing how he finds hybrid forms throughout his everyday environment.
Winker’s work is reductive in nature, simplifying forms to depict what is truly important. He uses a variety of mediums – acrylic, fiber paste, spackle, enamel – to achieve different effects across works. In some works, the buildup of enamel acts as the subject matter, while other works are purposefully flat. Working with abstracted forms and subjects, Winker’s work offers a piece of things we know – a globe, a bed, a cereal box – but through an entirely new lens of understanding. His work plays with nostalgia — referencing moments from his own life, but also making us think about moments from our own past and present. Working with perspective since graduate school, Winker manipulates our view of the world, as we orient ourselves to understand his work. Winker’s work is a type of mystery that we unfold – both in our mind and physically.
Paul Winker takes the micro and makes it macro in his paintings. He takes a small section of a piece of fabric, enlarging it to a monumental scale. He makes things that are a part of a whole or often overlooked into something grand and subjects. The artist drags his subjects out of their context —placing them on a large canvas for viewers to admire what was once small and mundane. For Winker, anything can become an artwork, as he focuses on the presence of often overlooked things — forcing us all to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the mundane. Winker gives us another chance to look and see the objects around us with a new sense of appreciation and enjoyment.
Paul Winker lives and works in Dallas, TX. He received his BFA in Painting and Drawing at the University of North Texas and has been included in several group exhibitions in the area, including at Goss-Michael Foundation, The Power Station, and Texas Women’s University. He has also had multiple solo and collaborative presentations at AND NOW in Dallas. In 2021, Winker was commissioned by collectors Janelle and Alden Pinnell to create an outdoor sculpture at their home, which served as the inaugural offsite project for the Nasher Public initiative. Paul Winker is an activate participant in the local art scene, often initiating creative opportunities and collaborations with artists throughout the community and beyond.
