Paula Barragan — Biography



1963 Born in Quito, Ecuador
1981-82 School of Visual Arts, Atelier de Sevres, Paris, France 1982-86 B.F.A. Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY 1989 Summer program in printmaking, Parsons School of Design, New York, NY 1992 Summer program in painting, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
2004 First Prize, Illustration category, National Biennial of Graphic Design, Ecuador

 

 Paula Barragan was born in Quito, Ecuador in 1963. Though Paula’s parents are native to both Ecuador and New Zealand, and her studies have carried her from The School of Visual Arts in Paris to the San Francisco Art Institute to Pratt Institute in New York, she draws her inspiration primarily from the vibrant culture of her birth country.  Echoes of the highly detailed and earthy artwork native to Ecuador can be seen in Barragan’s design work, her paintings and etchings, textiles, carpets, silkscreens, and jewelry.  Barragan’s accomplishments encompass international solo and group exhibitions in New Zealand, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Spain, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and the United States, as well as numerous commissions for diverse projects in etching, carpet and mural design. Barragan has been a design teacher at the Universidad Católica in Quito, and a representative of Ecuador for the “Painting with Children” program with Hillary Clinton in 1998. In recent years she has flourished in illustration, creating lively and colorful images for children’s books. Her capacities are vast, and speak not only of her talent, but also of her tireless discipline and yen for creative exploration.

In Barragan’s oil paintings, simplicity and intricacy are woven together with harmony. Her palette is broad:  fiery reds, sea blues, and mossy greens are nestled together in multi-hued shimmering pools or smooth opaque fields.  Within these colorfields, Barragan carves into the surface of the paint; close inspection of the painting reveals figures, churches, spiny creatures, words and numbers, even eyes gazing back at us.  The overall effect is magnificent.  From across a room the paintings captivate one’s eye with their boldness.  At the same time, one wants to explore the sensual matte glow of the surface, and decode the minute carvings each painting holds.

Paula Barragan’s paintings and etchings have been in the permanent collection of Multiple Impressions since 1994.