Artist Bio
Born in the Middle East, Jean-Paul moved to the United States with his family in 1987 do civil unrest and economic strife. Being an only child, he spent most of his time painting and drawing as he expressed his thoughts and ideas through the arts. In 1998, Jean-Paul earned a scholarship to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit Michigan where he studied painting and drawing. He then pursued a Master of Fine Arts from Wayne State University in the drawing and painting department with a minor in anatomy for the artist. His Undergraduate thesis work explored abstracted architectural structures in space Reflecting some of his earliest memories of war, ruins, and haunting ghost-like landscapes from his youth. His cityscapes embodied an almost anthropomorphic sensibility as his structures would convolute and morph to figure-like states aimed to convey a sense of instability and claustrophobia. Using his undergraduate work as a springboard, he later turned his attention to the figure where he studied classical realism. As his work developed, his Mark making became noticeably more expressive and gestural focusing on the essence of the figure as opposed to capturing a specific likeness. He was influenced by artists such as Francoise Nielly, Victor Wang, And Jason Sean Alexander. Jean-Paul has exhibited his work in various museums and galleries throughout the country. He is currently a practicing studio artist whilst working as a behavioral interventionist for at-risk teenagers in the Dearborn public school system in Dearborn Michigan.