paper clips, aluminum and acrylic on canvas; 14x14x2.5”

“Like many people, I’ve been spending much of this pandemic streaming TV shows. How could I make this sofa time productive? By curling up hundreds of jumbo paper clips while watching. This is no easy task. Try it. Galvanized steel doesn’t like to be bent and twisted. After man-handling hundreds of paper clips I made a wall sculpture by attaching them to aluminum stripes on a painted canvas.”

ARTIST BIO: Born in Cincinnati, Paul Schoettinger also lived and made art in North Carolina and California. He has taken a few college art classes, but he is mostly self-taught. Paul makes art out of recycled and repurposed materials like paper clips, bottle caps, compact discs and sports equipment. He usually brightens things up with colorful acrylic paint. Paul’s work has been shown in galleries throughout Southern California and Cincinnati.