Ani 10"x8", oil on canvas (click to magnify)

When I was a child, I had a dream. In this dream, I was approached by the lamb of God. The lamb took me from my room and led me to a never-ending, cloudy plain. In the plain lay a gargantuan book, miles in width and length. The book lay open. The lamb told me: "You may choose one word, which I will then define for you." The word I chose was Art.

I and the lamb walked for hours until we came to where the word "art" was stretched out in front of us. It said:

art \'ärt\ n [ME, fr. OF, fr. L art-, ars] (13c) 1: The root word of artificial. That which Kimball cannot understand or reproduce.

Now I paint without self-reflection or internal dialogue. None of my paintings are ever planned, and sometimes I'll hang a painting in my house for a year, and then work on it again.

Self Portrait 10"x8", oil on canvas (click to magnify)

I tend to paint in spirals, starting from the center of the picture and painting around and around. Then I start over and put another layer on top and spiral outward. I continue this until the painting seems done.

— Kimball Paul

Kimball Paul is an artist and Tai Chi teacher living in Chicago. For more information about Kimball's paintings, contact him via phone at (773) 247-9331 or via e-mail at kimballmaster@yahoo.com.