Recently, we interviewed local artist Paul, who is also a valued resident at our Warrigal Mt Warrigal Residential Care Home. Keep reading to hear about Paul’s story, his artworks and inspiration, and what he values most about being creative.

Meet Paul! 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? 

My name is Paul Settre. It’s Norwegian in origin. My great grandfather was a Norwegian man that came to Port Adelaide in the 1880s, and that’s essentially where one of the artistic streaks came from.

It’s a generational thing in my family, artwork. On my mother’s side too, they’re quite creative people. My mother loved wood carving, making tables, furniture etc.

Artwork & Inspiration 

What type of art do you create? What medium do you use?

I like to use mixed media because I like to experiment. That’s the beauty of abstract art, it’s experimenting. There’s lots of duds, but that’s half the fun.

It’s all about using the colour, form, and shape on the paper and creating something for the individual to think about, rather than saying, ‘Oh, there’s a tree in that painting’.

I just started off doing some little bits of collage, because I didn’t want to make a mess with paints. Then, I started doing the collage with acrylic paint, a little bit of a combination, and then I’ve gone over to doing just acrylics.

What inspires your artwork?

Years ago, back in the 70s and 80s when I was a young person, I worked in the clothing industry, painting fabric. I was making fabric prints, not silkscreen, but painting with a few techniques, and I was inspired by a woman called Sonia Delaunay.