„WHEN I PAINT, I LOOK WITHIN TO MAKE SENSE OF THIS LIFE. I HAVE ALWAYS PAINTED THESE MOMENTS - JOYOUS, CONFUSING, PAINFUL, MESSY, ABUNDANT MOMENTS EVEN WHEN LIFE THROWS US CURVEBALLS. I AM SO FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO PROCESS AND WORK TOWARD HEALING WITH MY ART.
THIS BODY OF WORK IS PART OF AN ONGOING COLLECTION CALLED THE PALS SERIES.
MY FATHER ALWAYS CALLED ME PAL WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, BUT THIS PALS IS AN ACRONYM FOR PEOPLE WITH ALS.
IN 2014, THE SON OF ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ALS AT THE AGE OF 25. SINCE HIS DIAGNOSIS, I HAVE BEEN USING MY ART IN DIFFERENT WAYS TO FUNDRAISE AND RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THIS CONDITION.
IT ISN’T ENOUGH.
ONE DAY IN LATE 2021, I WAS WALKING THE BEACH AT SUNRISE, AT AN EXTREMELY LOW TIDE. I REALIZED I WAS WALKING ON THE PART OF THE BEACH I HAD NEVER BEEN ABLE TO GO TO BEFORE. I COULD SEE THINGS I WOULD NEVER HAVE SEEN HAD I NOT BEEN THERE AT THAT MOMENT. I THOUGHT ABOUT BOBBY, AT THAT INSTANCE, HOW THE EBB AND FLOW OF THE DISEASE LEAVES HIS BODY, BUT UNDERNEATH, THERE ARE PLACES THAT HE IS ABLE TO GO - PLACES OF HOPE, STRENGTH, JOY, RESILIENCE, HUMOR, AND LIFE.
I REALIZED THAT I NEEDED TO PAINT AND PAINT A LOT ABOUT HIS JOURNEY TO PROCESS WHAT IS HAPPENING, NOT JUST TO BOBBY BUT TO HIS FAMILY, FRIENDS, CAREGIVERS, AND COMMUNITY. I CAN NEVER UNDERSTAND FULLY WHAT LIVING WITH THIS DIAGNOSIS MEANS, BUT I CAN USE MY WORK TO CONNECT AND SHARE AND WORK ON UNDERSTANDING AND HEALING.
I ASKED BOBBY AND HIS CAREGIVER FOR WORDS I COULD USE AS A JUMPING-OFF POINT FOR THESE PAINTINGS. THE WORDS BECOME THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ROLLED AROUND THROUGH PAINT WITH STATISTICS, FACTS, AND RESEARCH THAT LEAD THE WAY FOR THESE PAINTINGS TO BE BORN. EACH IS A SNIPPET OF A THOUGHT, CONVERSATION, MEMORY, EMOTION, ACTION, OR REACTION. IN THEM, I SEE THE STORY UNFOLDING, AND WHILE THEY ARE BOBBY’S STORY, THEY ARE MY STORY AND CAN BE YOUR STORY AS WELL.“
- PAULA BORSETTI
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
Paula Borsetti creates abstract paintings woven from moments of her life. Her work reflects a love of family, friends and the natural environment of New England. Working in acrylic on a variety of surfaces allows her to create layered paintings meant to evoke personal moments and narrative. She is interested in the act of painting, how movement and materials become formal elements, how thoughts and feelings weave in and out and the dance between them all. Working on multiple paintings simultaneously allows one piece to inform the other, keeping the movement going and allowing the action to happen on and off the page.
Paula's works have always used abstract and familiar elements to understand and express what is happening in her world. While deeply personal, they are also universal. Her most recent PALS series is an ongoing body of work about witnessing, processing and steps in healing. In 2014 her close friend's son was diagnosed with ALS at age 25. And he is not the only one in her community. Creating this series allows the artist to connect with and share what this disease does to people and the people surrounding them; families, friends and the community. She states, "I am a lover of words, and I am currently using words describing this experience with ALS as layers submerged in the paintings. I am rolling these thoughts and words around in paint and letting them lead the way to paintings that resonate with a sense of strength, hope, perseverance, awareness, support and life."
You can find Paula's work at the Salted Cod Arthouse and the North Shore Art Association; online at Women United Art Movement, NAWA, See/Me Gallery, Manhattan Arts International, ArtsyShark, Art Show International Gallery, and Circle Foundation for the Arts.
„For as long as I can remember, I have been creating, my hands busy at work. To create is like breathing. In and out, a part of you that you can harness to ground, elevate, soothe, or heal. And like breathing, not doing it is not an option. You take it with you no matter where you go. To work, play, sleep, and every aspect of your life. Shape and form it to suit your needs, challenge, and learn. Share it with others, or keep it close, quiet, shallow, or loud and deep.
I go to the sunrise, to the same beach, in the town I have always lived in. Tides come in, then out, leaving behind a different trace. The same place, yet never the same. That is my act of painting. I come to the studio, put out paint, begin the process, and start the ebb and flow. The tides recede at the end of the day, and nothing is the same. Each mark, color and stroke is a new discovery.
Working with acrylic paint allows me to layer traces of what is becoming. Charcoal, graphite, crayon, and stencils all lend themselves to the story. A mark, a response, a color, a response, a movement, a response, a sound, a response, a feeling, a response, a pain, a response, a smell, a response. Wild, crazy marks, frenetic energy slashes followed by a slow mark tracing a path. I am the tortoise and the hare dancing together all at once.
I paint because it brings me joy, and like breathing sustains my life. I paint to understand myself and the world around me. I paint to bring me closer to who I am and who I am meant to be.“
