Paula Love
Being amused by the natural world, Paula Love explores through art her deep connection with nature as a spiritual practice. She was born in Chile in 1970 and the images of the beautiful and magnificent Andes are one of her most vivid memories from a young age. Since early life, drawing was one of her favourite things to do together with daydreaming of going for long walks in the forest.
Due to the political situation in Chile, in 1974 Paula was taken from her birth country and moved with her family to Mexico City, where later on as a teenager, she studied photography in Los Talleres de Coyoacan and Casa del Lago, and published her work in underground magazines from Mexico City.
In 1988, she moved to the East coast of Mexico and learned batik and tie-dye and made a living selling her clothing and fabrics with her artwork at the beaches and festivals. During this time, Paula Love kept doing photography and later on published her photos in several newspapers and magazines from Cancun, Mexico. She worked as a journalist for over a decade, focusing on environmental activism and culture, not only as a photographer but also as a writer and a news broadcaster for radio and television.
During this time, Paula often found peace in drawing, learning from medicinal herbs as well as master plants. She continued spending time in nature and connecting with it. She carries these roots to this very day.
She travelled to many places including Spain, the Basque Country and Morocco, where she has ancestors. Also to England, France, Czech Republic, Central America, Caribbean, USA and Canada. Paula has lived in British Columbia since 2007.
The very first moment Paula Love saw the mountains, ocean, forest and wildlife of BC, she fell in love with it. The amazing nature and her two kids Juliet and Kan Ek are her main inspiration for creating art. In nature is where she finds herself truly and deeply connected with life and the Great Spirit.
The beauty of the giant trees, the powerful bears, the crystal clear waters, the ancient whales, the flowers and mushrooms, the majestic eagles and all the magical beautiful creatures of the forest, fulfills Paula's heart and imagination whiles she expresses that through her art everyday.
Paula's love for nature has lead her towards the Permaculture path studying with Delvin Solkinson and Kym Chi on the Sunshine Coast of BC. Paula and her partner Rob, have created together an off grid Tiny Home applying their permaculture, building and gardening knowledge.
In BC she has taken art workshops with Janet Esseiva, Deb Chaney, Kathleen Ainscough and Alex and Allyson Grey from New York.
Paula has participated in many collective shows at the Gallery on Bowen Island and also in two editions of the CoSM Journal from New York.
Currently Paula is painting with acrylics and is exploring watercolor and mix media. She is also working on creating a collection of Pacific North West mushrooms illustrations for a book.