December, 2009
Paul is nearing the completion of five very large oil paintings. The stretched canvases are all eight feet in height and range in width from 10 to 14 feet. The paintings will dominate the walls of the new National Civil War Chaplin’s Museum at Liberty University and according to the museum’s director; the paintings will be one of the main attractions.
The compositions all tell stories of civil war chaplains in service. Individually they will serve as backdrops for figurines; the sequence will be a Catholic priest administering last rights to a mortally wounded soldier, a Jewish rabbi serving the Passover elements to a small group of Jewish soldiers; a protestant revival scene, a river baptism scene, and a group of chaplains known as the Christian Commission.
Paul composed the paintings using darker muted hues creating a mood that represent other popular imagery of the civil such as Mathew Brady’s photography. To draw attention to the focal areas of each composition, he subtly placed brighter and more vibrant colors. As the canvases will hang unframed, the darker backgrounds act as vignettes to separate each scene.
If you are in the Lynchburg area, make sure you stop by the new National Civil War Chaplain’s Museum and see Paul’s massive paintings. They are very impressive and you undoubtedly will find the experience a pleasurable one.