Meet Paula Temple | visual Artist and Professor of Art Emerita

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paula Temple and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paula, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I took risks not knowing they were risks. When I recount my life to others the response is usually “you took a lot of risks”. This is somewhat surprising to me because I have always seen life as a great adventure to explore.

I chose to follow a career as a visual artist that was considered to be risky and difficult to make a living. I took every opportunity as a child to go to art classes and learn about how artists did their work. I never had a “mentor” or anyone who guided through my career. There are risks in being a woman following a career that was dominated by male artists.

I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee during the 50’s and 60’s; these were times when
Civil rights and Vietnam War were active. During my undergraduate studies and graduate school I participated in protest events for both of these crises.

I traveled alone throughout Europe, visiting museums and artists. I met artists and viewed all the work I studied during my college years in art history classes. Afterward, I joined the Peace Corps and lived in the Eastern Caribbean Nation of Grenada and St. Lucia in 1978-1984. I lived and worked through the Grenada Conflict.

I reentered the United States after this experience and moved to Miami with few connections. I got a job at Carol Korn Interiors as a rendering artist. I left Miami to join the University of Mississippi as a full time tenured faculty member in the Department of Art.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Your Work

I have been called an Expressionist, Surrealist painter. I work in oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas and paper and watercolor on paper. I also do a lot of mixed media works. My work is figurative. I have also been called multi-directional; I do a lot of different subjects that frustrates galleries.

Lessons I have learned along the way,

All artists start out seeking a gallery to represent their work. We soon found out they are simply stores, if they can’t sell your work, they don’t want you. If you are a woman this is especially true. I sat in a forum on gallery owners and representatives who finally admitted this fact. It is hard to sell work by women artists. One said that if she represented a female artist in her gallery she was afraid that her male artists would leave and go somewhere else. I recall my giant art history textbook in university showing no examples of art by women. Galleries tend to want to see consistency as in the same popular, sellable painting done over and over again. They think this is representative of a mature artist. I think of all the undone ideas and stalled creative energy that has been wasted. Upon researching qualifications of gallery owners and curators I have found somewhat lacking in art criticism experience.

I have had many visitors to my painting studio in France; I have noticed that male artists never visited my studio unless a woman brought them there. Gay male artists come, female artists come, curators, poets, writers, art historians, and collectors visit my studio but male artists don’t. When I brought this up to other female artists they said the same thing.

Was it easy, if not what have I done to overcome the challenges?

When I left Graduate school I really believed that if you were a good painter you could “make it” in the art world.
It was difficult. I was the only woman in my MFA painting program. I was the only one who couldn’t find a position on the art faculties in the USA. I first taught in a high school in Charleston, South Carolina that had many issues. When my alma mater sent out letters requesting donations to the university I told them about their placement department and the poor response I had. When I was finally hired at the University of Mississippi, full time and tenure-track, in 1985, I was the first female studio faculty hired in the Department of Art. Now, there is a majority of female professors. Upon retirement, I moved to a small village in France famous for it’s artists’ residencies about an hour east of Paris, Marnay-sur-Seine.

In Paris, France I am a member of the “Salonistas”. This is a group of female artists from all over the world. We do what we can. During the covid-19 isolation period we experienced in France artists were putting their works in windows and balconies, I have a lovely fence in front of my house. I hang 4-6 art works on this fence every weekend during times when all galleries and museums were closed. My Galerie du Trottoir (gallery of the sidewalk) is still popular and has many visitors.

What I want the world to know about you and your story

There are many overlooked and underrepresented artists out here and our works are excellent. The art market now is very confusing and out of balance. I have a long resume with awards, exhibitions, publications etc. and 55 years of artwork. I have done public artwork for the American Cancer Society with a travel tour and featured on the Rosie O’Donnell show and The Eli Lily Company with exhibitions in England and New York. I have received awards from the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Mississippi Arts Commission. I am in museum collections and numerous private collections.
My website is www.paulatempleart.com

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Zuma Restaurant

Art museums and galleries

botanical gardens

Coconut Grove

South Beach

Design District

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Ariel Baron-Robbins, my daughter

Website: www.paulatempleart.com

Image Credits
Carolina Cruz, for small portrait Robert Jordan, for black and white pictures American Cancer Society, for large color, 3 part painting, “Light, Grace, and Spirit” Paula Temple, for Fortuna, Les Oiseaux, vertical color paintings