Paul Beck

Paul Beck

Ojo Caliente, NM

"I don’t like stark white paper. It always looks so lonely."

Paul Nathan Beck (he/him/his) was diagnosed with Schizophrenia at the age of 22 which caused tremendous shifts in his life. He was born in Annapolis, Maryland and raised in Massachusetts. As a teen, he struggled with identity and remembers a moment of frustration in trigonometry class with an impatient teacher who wouldn't answer his curiosity. Moving back to Maryland at 22 yrs. old, he suffered a psychotic break from his belief in the unreal. When Paul was diagnosed with schizophrenia he was hospitalized for 16 months, which was life changing in a healthy way. During his time in the hospital, Paul looked forward to art class every Wednesday. Paul has continued creating art ever since.

With the support from the State of Maryland’s Department of Rehabilitation Services, Paul worked as a machinist for twelve and a half years. He began to create his current body of work, geometric mandalas, nine years ago. He had a full circle moment in which numbers, material, and art took on a new meaning. Trigonometry suddenly made sense, math made sense, things made sense. Spending between 30 to 40 hours per mandala, they are composed with intricate line work and strong use of color combinations. “I usually have a general picture in my mind’s eye which is subject sometimes, but not always, to change.”

Now, retired and living contentedly in a log cabin in Ojo Caliente, New Mexico, Paul continues his dream of sharing his unique mandalas with the world through the help of ArtLifting. He is also venturing into ways in which his machine and construction skills blend with his artistic eye as he explores 3d metal sculpture work and other built forms.  

 
Maltese Cross - ArtLifting
 
Lotus - ArtLifting
 
The Brotherhood of Man - ArtLifting