PAUL G. OXBOROUGH
	FOREWORD Remarkably, ten years have swiftly passed since Paul Oxborough's work was exhibited at the Eleanor Ettinger Gallery for the very first time. It was apparent from the start he was an extraordinary painter. Still in his early thirties, Oxborough's paintings were at once sensitive in spirit yet executed with the energy and bold assurance of a more seasoned hand. There was great joy in the discovery of this young talent and the sense of a future filled with promise. What could not be known then was the extent to which his identity as an artist would flourish over the next decade. He is in full measure a painter of both substance and style. His uniqueness might be described as equal parts masterful technique, artistic vulnerability and courageous diversity. We recognize an Oxborough painting at once. His free and lush brushwork reveals a distinct and magnificent handling of light. Oxborough translates fleeting moments of life into his own visual language whether it is in a candlelit café or a barn full of cows. There is a personal revelation to his work of which we are privy, unbeknownst to us or not. Arguably the most sought-after paintings in his oeuvre are the restaurant and café scenes. These inspirations come from locales both home and abroad and are familiar as a nearby jazz club or as famous as a fashionable nightspot in France. This exhibition contains several genre scenes that reflect his travels and memories. An al fresco meal in Tuscany on a warm summer evening is the setting of Tuscan Dinner. Aglow in celebration, New Years Eve is a formal affair at one of New York's trendiest French eateries. The Library Bar, a neighborhood pub with its usual denizens, is captured both by day and night. The "centerpiece" of the exhibition is entitled In the Audience and is taken from the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, one of the country's best known regional venues. While Paul Oxborough's son was making his acting debut there, the artist turned his eye from the performers below to the shadowed figures seated around him. With the rows sharply raked, the faces of the crowd in the darkened theatre are softly illuminated by the glow from the stage. The work is almost like a reflection of a father's pride in watching people enjoying the accomplishment of his son. Peering through the smoke of a campfire at night or gazing at sailboats in the morning sun, the sheer versatility of the artist is astonishing. This past year Oxborough's work was once again exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the painting entitled Chuck Close II has just returned in time to be included in this exhibition. These past ten years have proved in many ways to be even more than we could have dreamed at the time, and awards and accolades have deservedly come his way. With this new exhibition, we not only celebrate the collaboration and friendship we have so enjoyed with Paul Oxborough, but this extraordinary artist's potential and promise so magnificently realized.
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