Unconscious Automatic Angels: An Interview with Artist, Therapist and Academic Paul Rhodes
/Paul Rhodes is an artist, therapist and academic
working from Nauti Studios in Sydney.
We asked Paul some red hot Qs to get a behind the scenes look at
the world and inspiration behind their work,
as well as their upcoming exhibition Fallen Angels.
A great selfie from Paul, of them in their element, in their studio at Nauti Studios Sydney.
Tea or coffee?
Coffee, including instant.
Sunrise or sunset?
Sunrise, I get up at 4:00am every morning.
What scares you?
A few things; being bored, not achieving something everyday, people who follow the crowd, not having time to think and reflect.
One of Paul’s works, made in their studio at Nauti Studios Sydney.
When did you start making art?
I started art as a teenager and did a lot of drawing right up to 21 years old. Then stopped and after some burn-out as a Psychologist went to art school at 28, but then stopped again right until COVID at 55 years old. I've been making up time and now paint on average three hours a day.
What inspires you and your work?
Mostly the internal life, images, emotions, voices, landscapes of the unconscious. I do my work automatically, without pre-thinking and so it's always a surprise what comes out.
What’s your fav thing about Nauti?
The family of creatives. It's been amazing meeting so many new friends with so much humor and support for art-making.
Another of Paul’s works, made in their studio at Nauti Studios Sydney.
What artwork or project are you most proud of?
I'm super proud of my first real solo show called Fallen Angels, opening later this month on 22nd July at Mothership Studios . It's all about how we can be liberated when we get in touch with the darker parts of ourselves.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am always a show ahead and the next will be called Bridge of Sighs. All religious images to explore spirituality (without religion).
If you weren't an artist, therapist or academic what would you be?
I would own a record shop selling classic rock, jazz fusion and metal.
Another of Paul’s works, made in their studio at Nauti Studios Sydney.
Have any artists changed the way you see the world?
Dali, Klee, Chagall, Ernst...all the surrealists and lovers of the unconscious.
If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?
Er...Thomas Merton, monk and mystic.
A glimpse inside Paul’s creative powerhouse studio at Nauti in Sydney.
To keep in touch and up to date with Paul Rhodes and their work you can follow
them on instagram, or come to their upcoming show:
Fallen Angels
Saturday 22 July to Friday 28 July 5pm to 8pm
Opening Night: Saturday 22 July from 4:30pm to 8:30pm
At Mothership Studios in Marrickville (click here for directions)
Click here for more exhibition information.
You can join Paul working at Nauti Studios
by getting in touch by clicking here.
