[Venus, Florida ::: b. Hickory, North Carolina] 

Paul F. Yount is a figurative non-linear narrative painter in oils. His metaphysical, spiritual large scale paintings convey a mysterious message of the human condition through cinema, literature, life experiences, traveling, and a highly developed symbolic world full of metaphors. Yount’s concepts of what all humans experience in the themes of life, death, sex, sexuality, religion, science, time, medicine, good, evil, are woven into figures, symbols, and metaphors depicted in the paintings. The visceral bold quality is present in the striking skewed compositions layered with bold sophisticated colors that are inherent to his vision. Yount’s paintings speak to a universal audience with a personal vocabulary familiar to all.

Yount was awarded the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Individual Grant in 2020.

Yount completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts with The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and post-graduate studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, Boston.

Each painting is a mirror that is transparent.

The approach to each of my paintings is a journey into the invented world that I create based on my memories combined with past and present experiences with life. I have been painting for 43 years to find the answers in my quest to present questions to humanities metaphysical existence. Beginning with concepts of what all humans experience in the themes of life, death, sex, sexuality, religion, science, time, medicine, good, evil, which are woven into figures, symbols and metaphors depicted in the paintings.

The questions to life, the mysteries to our existence, the prescribed morals and rules taught to us as we develop have been more of a quest to probe and to challenge with our mature sophisticated lives as adults in my work.

The evolution of our species and how we have traveled down paths of progress and development that have only harmed humanity or have brought about utter chaos and confusion have fascinated me as an artist.

The dogmas and doctrines of religion that contain hierarchy, power, control of the mind and wars have been a part of my art.

The life as a gay male in a straight dominated patriarchal existence have conflicted with my inner thoughts that all people should be equal and treated with dignity. I have experienced both a childhood of a violent aggressive male entity and the power of the female love and unconditional acceptance of all.

A mirror is placed in front of our society that creates a transparent surface to not only reflect our life and behavior but to predict a mysterious unknown path of the future. Through the use of figures and people from literature, cinema and ephemera complement the muses of the past and present. My depiction with my husband enacting roles are shown through the ideas of memories, thoughts, desires, and how humans treat one another. This behavior becomes the catalyst in emotions of the mind, soul and body.

The concept of history, what we have learned, how we continue the same mistakes, and how time shows ultimately that humanity will be it’s own demise to itself or to the earth is shown in my paintings.

In all, I paint about the human condition in all of its beauty, horror, deceit, love, hate, and through all of the struggle I instill a sense of continuation of hope that humans might become more sensitive and kind to one another when the old habits die and the “new beginning” is upon us.

EDUCATION

BFA The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Post-graduate studies School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, Boston

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2022   PROUD+ 2022, Juried by Alyssa Nitchun, Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art Executive Director, New York, The Studio Door, San Diego, California

           June Juried Exhibition: The Road to Florida, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Fort Myers, Florida

           ArtsUnited’s UNITED & PROUD: It’s About Love, Art Gallery 21 in the Island City Cultural Center, Wilton Manors / Fort Lauderdale, Florida

2019   Transformative Forces: Creation Through Destruction, 4th Annual Juried Exhibition, Kahilu Theatre Galleries, Waimea/Kamuela, Hawaii Island

2018    HI Contemporary Art Exhibition, East Hawaii Cultural Center Gallery, Hilo, Hawaii Island

            MidSummer Art Celebration 2018 - 2nd Annual All Media Juried Exhibit, Wailoa Center, Hilo, Hawaii Island

            Schaefer Portrait Challenge, Schaefer International Gallery, Maui Arts and Cultural Center, Kahului, Maui

2017    Isolation - Hawaii Contemporary Arts Exhibition, East Hawaii Cultural Center Gallery, Hilo, Hawaii Island

2015    Schaefer Portrait Challenge, Honolulu Museum of Art at First Hawaiian Center, Honolulu, Oahu

            Schaefer Portrait Challenge, Schaefer International Gallery, Maui Arts and Cultural Center, Kahului, Maui

2014    Mixed Plate: A Themed Exhibition,  Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Makawao, Maui

1987    Limner Gallery, New York City

SOLO EXHIBITIONS 

1985    Human The Caged Angel, Boston, MA

1984    Politics and Sex The Bromfield Gallery, Boston, MA

PUBLICATIONS 

2022    PROUD+ Catalogue, The Studio Door, San Diego, CA

2018    Schaefer Portrait Challenge Catalogue, Schaefer International Gallery, Maui, HI

2015    Schaefer Portrait Challenge Catalogue, Schaefer International Gallery, Maui, HI

AWARDS

2020   Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Foundation 2020 Individual Support Grant Recipient

2018   Hawaii Contemporary Art Exhibition, East Hawaii Cultural Center Hilo, HI

           Honorable Mention Recipient

2018   Midsummer Art Celebration, Wailoa Center Hilo, HI

          Juror’s Choice Award Recipient

          Ewing Scholarship from The University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN for painting Grants