PAUL G. OXBOROUGH
	FOREWORD The extraordinary "Big Self-Portrait" by Chuck Close, with his wild hair and cigarette perched in his mouth, had been an inspiration for Paul Oxborough as a young man. He found in Close an artist, a kind of hero, who had made representational portraiture relevant amid the art world's preference for abstract and conceptual art. As a teenager, Oxborough often visited the painting at the Walker Art Center, and it would instill in him a hope that he too could overcome the then current trends and pursue a life as a figurative artist. So, last year he felt not only very lucky but also more than a little apprehensive when Close, a very private man, agreed to sit for him. First, Oxborough had to put aside his preconceived ideas of this iconic figure. As in any portrait, the artist strives to capture not only the likeness but also the character of the subject. Oxborough wanted more - to pay homage to Close's triumphs as a man and as an artist. By painting him against the background of one of Close's own most recent self-portraits, he remarkably met all his challenges. Painted with all of Oxborough's bravura, "Chuck Close" is an honest and sensitive work, which reveals a determined man who is enveloped in his own vision. Paul Oxborough, himself, has never shied away from exploring his own truths through self-portraiture. In this new body of work he has created two very diverse images of his life as an artist. The first, "At the Café des Artistes", is admittedly more fantasy than fact. Here we find the artist as bon vivant, hand on hip, posturing in front of the famous mural at this revered New York haunt. Oxborough has placed himself in a public and historical context, as if he were expecting Isadora Duncan or Marcel Duchamp, two of this establishments more legendary habitués, to join him for a late dinner. By contrast, in "Self-Portrait with Suit" we find the artist in his studio looking quite open and vulnerable. It is in these very private and familiar surroundings that the real work takes place. Yet, in a suit jacket, he is oddly dressed for the task. Seated with palette in hand, he seems to be waiting or hoping for the arrival of his muse, whether literally or figuratively. Two very distinct views... one perhaps as an artist's life might be viewed and the other the more fundamental truth. While still remaining firmly a representational painter, Paul Oxborough does have an appreciation for the principles of abstract art. In fact, he strives to include those elements in the painting entitled "Wine Glasses". Awash in a red glow, with lights dancing off the stemware, the tabletop becomes a field of shapes and patterns. Even if we could not identify the objects, the seemingly random arrangement has a very pleasing form and sense of movement. This is the foreground and counterbalance to the beautifully rendered faces of the evening's participants. Together these two "halves" blend into a scene that satisfies with the heady delight of a fine wine. Paul Oxborough's newest body of work is as varied and accomplished as we have come to expect from this immensely talented artist. He enchants us with scenes of dappled sunlight and entices us with the flickering shadows of his moody interiors. Through his paintings, we have entered into his world, met his family, friends, and even his heroes... and in this way Oxborough has fulfilled those early hopes by sharing with us his talent, passion and vision.
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