On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Marblehead Harbor Rotary will honor artist Paul McMahan at a reception in his honor as he officially unveils his watercolor painting titled “Abbot After Dark,” this year’s Holiday Pops signature art.
The reception for McMahan will be held at the Masons’ Philanthropic Building, 62 Pleasant St., from 5-7 p.m. There will be light refreshments prepared by Every Little Breeze Catering and a cash bar. This event is free and open to the public.
Paul’s love of drawing and buildings compelled him to declare in the third grade that he wanted to be an architect. He pursued a degree in architecture at New York Institute of Technology, coupled with a semester abroad in Italy. An architectural rendering class in college reinforced his love of drawing.
Returning to Boston after college led him to Paul Stevenson Oles, FAIA, a world-renowned architectural illustrator. After an intense professional development workshop at Harvard Graduate School of Design with Stevenson Oles, McMahan was hired as an apprentice. The work involved doing architectural renderings for architects on projects around the world, including for the Louvre Museum in Paris. This job was the perfect marriage of his passion of both drawing and buildings. Spending time with the designers, while executing these commissions, was very rewarding, he said.
The experience gained while drawing led to a series of adjunct teaching positions at a number of Boston schools including Harvard, Boston Architectural College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Mass Art. Passing on skills to the next generation of architects and artists was extremely gratifying for him. McMahan has also conducted many workshops, art demonstrations and private classes throughout the Boston area, as well as a few lectures at universities across the country.
In addition to architectural illustration and teaching, McMahan has worked as a fine artist for many decades. Studying with some of the best artists in the country has helped hone his skills. He achieved signature membership in the venerable New England Watercolor Society. His work has appeared in over 100 shows, including dozens of solo exhibitions. He is an award-winning artist, whose work is collected throughout the country.
Marblehead holds a special place for McMahan and his artistic pursuits. He has done about 50 paintings of Marblehead that hang in homes around town. His work is often featured at The Landing Restaurant and at the Dolphin Yacht Club. He currently curates and hangs all the shows at the Marblehead Arts Association.
He has been a judge a couple of times for the Marblehead Festival of the Arts, as well as hanging their “Paint the Town” exhibit.
McMahan said he is honored to be chosen as the featured artist for this year’s Holiday Pops and for the opportunity to give back to the community that has offered him so much.
During the reception on Nov. 12, raffle tickets will be sold for an opportunity to win McMahan’s original artwork fully framed by Arnould Gallery and Framery. McMahan will draw the winning ticket during the intermission of the Dec. 13 Holiday Pops Concert at Abbot Hall. Notecards featuring the art and concert tickets will also be available for purchase at the reception.
For more information about Paul McMahan, visit mutualart.com/Artist/Paul-McMahan/75B5DB7313B1007E.
Concert floor and balcony tickets will be available online beginning on Nov. 12 at rotaryclubofmheadharbor.org, along with more information about Marblehead Harbor Rotary.
