About Paul Wylde

Expressive original paintings and fine-art prints exploring culture, faith and freedom through abstract realism.

I’m Paul, a self-taught artist from Birmingham, and my journey now brings me to live on the island of Ireland. Here's me at the foot of Slemish Mountain in County Antrim, where a young Saint Patrick spent six years as a captive shepherd, a time of hardship that awakened his faith and shaped the course of his life.

Working primarily in acrylics, I combine recognisable portraiture with expressive brushwork, layered surfaces and flowing paint. Detailed faces sit alongside looser marks, visible drips and unfinished edges.

For me, painting a face is about more than capturing what someone looks like. I’m interested in the person behind it; the emotions they carry, the experiences that shaped them and the story their expression might tell. I’m equally fascinated by what those stories awaken in us: a sense of connection, inspiration, hope or even the courage to see something differently. I want each painting to make you feel something, draw you in and perhaps reveal a little more each time you look at it.

Faith, emotion and creativity

Faith is at the heart of how I see people and approach creativity. It encourages me to look beyond the surface and consider the dignity, struggle, hope and complexity within each person.

My faith-inspired paintings explore biblical figures and Christian stories as deeply human experiences, filled with courage and doubt, suffering, sacrifice, love and hope. I’m fascinated by what shapes us, what sustains us and the moments that change our direction.

Creativity is also fed by life beyond the studio: the goosebumps caused by a song, an actor’s expression, a line in a book or becoming lost in a performance. I also play guitar, sing and write lyrics, giving emotion another way to find expression.

Sport brings its own raw emotion—the joy, tension and occasional agony of supporting the team you love. For me, that team is Aston Villa, rooted in Birmingham and where I come from. You could say my sporting heroes are Villans.

Humour matters too. I love comedy from the classics to modern stand-up, music, film and stage. Laughter connects people and helps us find the lighter side of life’s challenges. That balance between weight and humour shapes how I see people and their stories—and reminds me that neither life nor art should take itself seriously all of the time.

All these experiences flow back into my painting, influencing its atmosphere, movement, storytelling and emotion.

Original art and fine-art prints

Every original painting is created individually by hand, with its own marks, textures and imperfections. Selected artworks are also available as museum-quality giclée prints, produced individually on carefully chosen fine-art papers.

My aim is to create honest, expressive artwork made to last—something that connects with you and continues to hold meaning in your home.