Paul Bond shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Paul, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is a normal day like for you right now?
When I am at my Costa Rica home, where my primary studio and home is, a normal day looks like this…
My wife and I are awakened at dawn by the sounds of the jungle – howler monkeys, toucans and birds of all types, as well as the river alongside our home. Unless the very rare plane is passing overhead or we hear a car in the far distance, all we hear from our home are the sounds of nature.
With our morning coffee in hand, we open up our sliding doors to the view down our little valley and overlooking the ocean. Our home looks out on the Osa Peninsula, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Unless it is raining, mornings I will go into the garden or fruit tree orchard on our 2 1/2 acre property and do some trimming and maintenance. My wife calls it making love to the garden. Which is pretty accurate. If the waves are good, I will often go for a morning surf.
Around 9am I then head into the studio to start my work day, until around 5pm. Mostly I am painting or conceptualizing new works, but am also sometimes handling administrative tasks related to my art business.
Weather permitting, we will often take an evening walk to the 100 ft waterfall that’s about 20 minutes from our house. After dinner we’ll often take in a movie. I am a big fan of cinema and the story telling that goes along with it as an art form. If it is a clear night we will take the beanbag chairs out on the lawn to watch the milky way traverse the sky. We are usually in bed by about 9:00 or 9:30.
It sounds like a travel catalog, I know, but this is my life.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I was born in 1964 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and I currently divide my time between California and Costa Rica. I classify my magic realism oil paintings as living in the spaces between dreaming and reality. Merging symbolic, surreal and fantastic elements with realistic atmospheres my art unveils a world where everything is possible.
My images usually relay deep metaphysical and philosophical messages. They delve into the world of dreams and subconscious thoughts, hopes and human desires. The physical world to me is often heartbreakingly beautiful and profound. I channel those deep emotions that life inspires in me by adding to it through a new reality of my own creation. The common denominators in my art are wonder and upliftment.
As an accomplished writer and poet, my paintings are always accompanied by a narrative or verse. I believe that the words further transport the viewer into a deeper emotional experience than could be reached by the visual art alone.
My images have been licensed for book covers, high end puzzles, calendars as well as prints for staterooms on cruise ships. I sell originals as well as print editions of my art.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My relationship with my wife, Donna. I met her at time when I was feeling a bit lost and unsure about what was next for me in my personal evolution. I saw myself through her eyes – as love often does – and what I saw reflected in her inspired me to become the person she saw me as. She opened a door for me that I was able to step into. Her being a life coach certainly helped as she is trained in assisting people to expand and move beyond self-imposed limitations.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of not being supported – financially, emotionally, physically and otherwise. I have come to the conclusion that is a fear of not feeling safe in the world and not supported by the universe/god/my own spiritual essence.
The irony is that as I look on my life I have always been safe and supported – though it often looked different that how I might have expected it to.
I feel I am close to eliminating this fear from my life at this point. At least when it does creep up at times I am able to quickly see it for what it is, an ego-based survival mechanism, and can more quickly let it go.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
That in a matter of a few years we (humanity) will be openly communicating with beings and societies from other planets.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
I have reached a level of financial success that I had not imagined accomplishing for myself. It is something I always desired (see previous question/answer about fear and support) thinking it would satisfy something within.
And while I greatly enjoy and appreciate the things that being having money bring, it did not fulfill what I call the soul’s yearning. Which for me is about self expression and connection with other people. There was a time many years ago that I did very little painting but had high income doing other work. And while I had all the material comforts, I felt quite poor inside. Now I focus on doing what fulfills my soul first, and the beautiful irony is that I find the money still flows abundantly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paulbondart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulbondart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paulbond3712
Image Credits
All original oil painting images – Copyright Paul Bond
