Paul Lewin

Jamaican artist

For the British electrical engineer, see Paul Leonard Lewin.

Paul Lewin

Born| 1973

Kingston, Jamaica

Website| www.paullewinart.com

Paul Lewin is an artist who resides in Oakland, CA. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973[1] and relocated to Miami with his family when he was five.[2]

## Early life

[edit]

Lewin was influenced by his father, and they would watch sci-fi and fantasy movies together. As a child he loved to draw the spaceships and military jets that he had seen in the movies.[3]

## Work

[edit]

Lewin's paintings are inspired by Afro-Caribbean folklore and African culture,[4] such as stories of the Jamaican national hero Nanny of the Maroons Nanny, who led a group called the Maroons who escaped slavery and created their own civilization in the mountains.[2] Lewin said: "My mom would tell me stories about back in the old country where she grew up in Jamaica...I want each piece to tell a story in the same way that the stories have been passed down for generations, dating all of the way back to Africa."[2] Lewin continues, "The Caribbean Islands are a melting pot of many different cultures, African, French, British, Chinese, Indian, the Middle East, and Taino just to name a few....as they began to take root in their new lands the folklore of the Africans began to fuse with many of the other cultural traditions."[5]

Lewin's imagery is also influenced by surrealism and science fiction. "I like to mix traditional Caribbean and African motifs with surreal visions of nature and the ancestry that surrounds us daily."[6] Lewin's work was featured in a show at San Francisco's Live Worms Gallery celebrating Octavia Butler's legacy.[7] Lewin's work is the cover imagery for the 2017 Seven Stories Press reprintings of the Octavia Butler novels The Parable of the Talents and The Parable of the Sower.[8]

Lewin has had two solo shows (2015, 2016) at the Betti Ono Gallery in Oakland, CA.

## Awards

[edit]

* 2017 World Fantasy Award for Best Artist (nominee)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Lewin, Paul. "Biography". Paul Lewin. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
2. ^ a b c Burlison, Dani (August 4, 2015). "Paul Lewin Continues Storytelling Tradition Through Painting". KQED Arts. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
3. ^ "Interview with Paul Lewin Afro-Caribbean Sci-Fi Contemporary PainterAfrican Digital Art". African Digital Art. 2022-04-04. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
4. ^ Valrey, JR (February 12, 2016). "The art of painter Paul Lewin". sfbayview.com. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
5. ^ Ono, Betti (2015-07-16). "August 7 – Sept 13, 2015 • Roots of the Cotton Tree: Works by Paul Lewin". Retrieved 2017-03-25.
6. ^ Ono, Betti (2015-07-16). "August 7 – Sept 13, 2015 • Roots of the Cotton Tree: Works by Paul Lewin". CELEBRATING 6 YEARS OF ART, CULTURE & COMMUNITY. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
7. ^ White, Erin (January 27, 2016). "FEATURE: The life and legacy of Black Feminist Sci-Fi Pioneer Octavia E. Butler to be honored with week-long exhibition, 'Octavia's Attic: ARTifacts From Our Possible Futures' – AFROPUNK". www.afropunk.com. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
8. ^ "Seven Stories Press". www.sevenstories.com. Retrieved 2017-03-25.