Paul is arguably one of the most interesting artists to emerge from Scottish art schools in the 1990’s. His work rejects much of contemporary art's values and focuses on narrative figure drawing and painting. This is what makes it so quietly revolutionary.
There is a very twenty-first century edge in Reid’s work, in its cinematographic view points and the contemporary feel of its characters. The quality of painting is always there, as is Paul Reid's awareness of new ways in which images can tell a story. His personalised interpretations of ancient myths have attracted a growing and enthusiastic audience and his work reflects our present world of films, graphic novels and ever-present Jungian archetypes of Greek myth.
A major publication of his work was published by 108 Fine Art in 2006, with an introduction written by His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales and essay by Laura Gascoigne.
In 2004 Paul accompanied HRH The Prince of Wales on a trip to Turkey and Jordan, completing a series of paintings and drawings based on the landscape and people of the areas visited and then again in 2009, he accompanied HRH on a visit to Canada.
His first public art gallery exhibition was arranged by 108, and toured the UK in late 2007/8. The exhibition charted the development of his work over the previous ten years, with the emphasis on his series of paintings, based on ‘The Minotaur’ and, ‘Circe’.
Paul studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee from 1994 ‘til 1998. He was awarded a Carnegie Trust Vacation Scholarship and a John Kinross Scholarship. His work is held in public and private collections.