Collection: Paul Horton

Out of adversity his natural talent for art emerged; not only did it represent a form of escapism but ultimately as fate would have it became his destiny. Horton was once described by his art teacher as ‘drawing like a pre-Raphaelite’ which encouraged him to seek out and study the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. Inspired by this he developed a deep interest in figurative painting which he cultivated during life drawing classes at the renowned Bournville School of Art. It was his studies in the traditional use of the figure and approach to realistic representation that allowed him years later the confidence to paint and sculpt from his imagination.

During the mid-eighties Paul’s art took a major change of direction, he was invited to a local puppet theatre that was about to close its doors for the last time. Given access to the storeroom of puppets and marionettes, what he found laid out before him he would later describe as ‘a lost world’. It was a world full of fables, fairy-tales and folklore that became a cathartic turning point, as he breathed life into the strange and bizarre characters before him. The first paintings showed the puppets still with strings and it was only sometime later that he released them from their bonds, creating his own assortment of personalities and the beginnings of the work you see today.