Artist Spotlight: Paul Lilley
- publicity115
- Apr 7
- 2 min read
Eastport Gallery member Paul Lilley is known for his detailed depictions of life in Maine, pieced together in the distinctive medium of mosaics. He travelled the world extensively before choosing Downeast Maine as the place to retire with his husband. They appreciate the quiet pace and lack of traffic and congestion compared to the many cities where they have lived.
Born on the east coast of Suffolk, United Kingdom, Paul eventually emigrated to Cyprus where he met his husband and became part of the State Department/Foreign Service. They have lived in nine countries including Côte d’Ivoire, Estonia, The Netherlands and their final posting to the Dominican Republic. Traveling extensively, they visited approximately 50 different countries. Paul worked in different sections of each Embassy they were posted to and was always creating mosaics in his spare time.
Cyprus is where Paul discovered the art form of mosaics. He had previously worked in watercolors (and hasn’t ruled out picking up a brush to paint again in oil or acrylics), but on this lovely Mediterranean island he became enchanted with creating art with stone and tile. He started with an extensive course, covering every aspect of mosaic including direct and indirect methods, as well as reverse and traditional techniques with natural stone. He remembers, “From the first lesson I was addicted and knew this was the medium I wanted to work in; however, I changed most of the techniques taught and developed my own methods. I went on to open my own studio and gallery, teaching classes and selling mosaic supplies.”
As a child, art was “frowned upon as being a waste of time” by Paul’s parents. His first career as a Registered Manager for care homes for the elderly and then as owner of a property management business was far from the palette or the drawing board. Luckily his aunt was very creative and encouraged him to try different mediums. She painted in oils and watercolors and took him on painting expeditions and visits to art galleries and museums. So, a seed of creativity remained within him.
Paul’s own advice for young artists is encouraging. He says, “Create what makes you happy. Have faith in what you are making, persevere and don't be discouraged by negative comments.”
Although Paul also enjoys gardening or baking, these days you will most often find him in his Machias studio. He says, “For the first time in years, I once again have a dedicated place to work where I can spread everything out.” And his other passions often take a backseat when “I am obsessively mosaicking!”
Paul recently had work on display at the Foggy Bee in Milbridge and will soon be featured at Wooleez in Machias. He will be teaching a beginner Mosaic class in April at Wooleez. The class is currently sold out but they are working on setting up more dates (contact Wooleez for more details). You can also meet Paul and see his work at the Bangor Sidewalk Art Festival in July; the Grand Lake Stream Folk Art Festival, also in July; and the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival in August. And of course, you can see his work at the Eastport Gallery in season or view his work online.
