I am a painter at heart. I enjoy working with various mediums including oils, acrylics, watercolor and pastels. For many years I have painted fruit and vegetables because I think they are beautiful. The Old Masters techniques of layering and glazing are my main approach to painting with a contemporary vision. I create art that leads people to see differently what is grown and eaten in Placer County. Sometimes they have never tasted what I paint. I am fortunate to eat what I paint; it never goes to waste. The exhibited paintings are meant to be visually instructive in nature, and I hope they inspire people to see the beauty in what we eat and how fortunate we are to have such abundant options for our meals.
Biography
As a teenager, Paula studied privately with a Spanish painter who taught her to oil paint. He made a living selling his work out of a small apartment located near Madrid’s Prado Art Museum. She learned to admire historically significant paintings created by the Spanish masters. The artwork was preserved for the future, and it was of such value that artists spent hours, even lifetimes, striving to improve technique and communicate powerful messages-a big motivator for a developing young mind.
Paula continued her education at UC Davis at a time when many accomplished modern artists were teaching, while producing artwork of their own on campus. She was privileged to study with Wayne Thiebaud, Robert Arneson, Roland Peterson and others who inspired and taught skills she continues to refine today. Paula earned a B.A. degree in studio arts with a minor in humanities, as well as a Secondary Teaching credential. As a student she worked in the tomato fields on a large harvester near Dixon California learning the value of agricultural labor.
A career of guiding high school and adult art students lead to my life-long commitment to research, the study of art history, and current events and trends that occur in an artist’s lifetime. Teaching art classes required that she daily demonstrated drawing, painting and computer skills. During summer breaks she attended the San Francisco Academy of Art to study illustration, traveled in the United States and Europe to visit museums and art collections.
The Art of Real Food by Joanne Neft and Laura Kenny was released in April 2012. As a photographer and painter, Paula spent 16 months working with local farmers to produce illustrations of seasonal fruits and vegetables for this lush cookbook. The experience increased her knowledge and appreciation for those who grow our local food. As a student at UCD she worked in the tomato fields on a large harvester near Dixon California learning the value of agricultural labor.
Paula Amerine’s paintings have been exhibited regionally, reside in private collections, and are owned by regional businesses. Her artwork has been accepted into juried art competitions, including the General Gomez Art Gallery-Auburn, Blue Line Arts Gallery-Roseville and the Crocker and KVIE Invitational Art Auctions.
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