Born in 1956, Paul Anderson moved to Sacramento, CA, to attend college in 1974. He began drawing at that time and while attending CSUS as an English major, Paul took a life drawing class from Professor Jimmy Suzuki. The first time Jimmy circled the room, coming up behind all the artists to give his critique, he stopped at Paul’s piece and said, “This looks like a cartoon!”

Not a whole lot has changed since then in Paul’s approach to art. The work is extremely colorful and intricate and has been described as “folk art” or “primitive art.” Maybe a better label would be “World Art,” as people have said it reminds them of African, Australian Aboriginal, and Central American folk art.

Besides the popular influential figures such as Picasso and Chagall, Paul is also influenced by the local artist, Roy deForest- especially in the playfulness of the composition.

Paul has had various shows in galleries and coffee shops throughout the years – all in Sacramento. Prominent Sacramento art critic, Victoria Dalkey, wrote of Paul’s debut show:

“The more I look at these [drawings], the better they get- and that’s rare.”

Paul is also a musician and is currently one of two singer/songwriters in a band called Adam and the Spareribs. He also studies the oud – a middle eastern string instrument that is the predecessor to the guitar. He plays oud in a Turkish ensemble in the Bay area, as well as a guest artist with the group Helm.

Paul currently resides in Sacramento, CA with his wife, Candy.