By Eva Trieger
OCEANSIDE, California — The Brooks Theater in Oceanside is hosting a one-man show as that city gears up for Oceanside Arts Days, April 18th and 19th. Paul Kauffman’s opening was launched with the Oceanside Arts Walk on April 3rd. Though his passion is painting, Kauffman has carved a niche for himself as an event planner. Indeed, for the past 34 years, this artist has created floral arrangements and taken on events from intimate weddings to a New Years’ Eve bash for 4,000 at Valley View Casino.
Kauffman attended Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount where he majored in Art. Kauffman was enrolled in an Adult Ed class at East Los Angeles City College, when the teacher of the course left. The other 21 students asked their classmate if he would step into those shoes as their substitute teacher for the remainder of the course…and he did!
From 1972-1980 Kauffman doubled as an English and Art teacher for middle school students. He enjoyed the experience and loved bringing inspiration and the freedom of expression to teens. Kauffman also shared that he enjoyed seeing what some of his special needs students created, given paint, a surface and the opportunity to explore.
Acrylics and pastels are the media of choice for Kauffman. He selects acrylics because they dry fast. In this vein, each day of Oceanside’s festival, the artist will be creating a four by five foot canvas in a single session from 1-3 pm.
When I visited Kauffman’s website, I was immediately intrigued by his “painting on cardboard.” When I inquired, Kauffman told me that, “some days I just have to paint.” He feels that painting is not just an emotional or visceral experience, but that it includes physical movement as well. On one such day, Kauffman was compelled to paint, but lacked traditional canvasses. He did, however, have access to the cardboard boxes that contain refrigerators. In the main, he used these for protecting his canvases from each other in storage, but the artist saw them in a whole new light, and put them to use as a surface for his art. It worked!
The painter shared that he gets excited by the synergy of “laying one color next to another” and finds the effect, “amazing.” Kauffman continues to explore and experiment with his own style and seeks mentors and teachers who encourage him to continue his journey. Though he has established a “style” Kauffman confided that “art is fluid, dynamic and never stagnant.”
One admired teacher, Olya Losina, a Russian artist, recognized Kauffman’s potential and encouraged him to keep experimenting and breaking through his perceived boundaries to make his works even more expressive of his identity.
Kauffman’s philanthropic streak is a mulithued mile wide. For the past 12 years, Kauffman has done event planning for the Heart and Soul Ball, a fundraiser for Jewish Family Services. In addition, he has leant his talents to Temple Beth Israel for their gala for many years.
Oceanside’s Arts Days are free to the public and will run April 18th and 19th from 10 am. To 6 pm. Please stop by the Brooks Theater for Kauffman’s live demonstration of acrylic painting. More works can be seen on his website www.paulkauffmanart.com
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Trieger is a freelance writer who specializes in coverage of the arts. Your comment may be sent to eva.trieger@sdjewishworld.com, or posted on this site, provided the rules below are observed.
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