Father Paul Plante focuses his work on the eyes of warblers, herons, swallows, and other birds in his 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″; oil pastel paintings. The compositions call to mind the cosmos and the mysteries of life, as well as the spirit of his subjects. He also explores the cosmic nature of the surface of an apple or a plum. He says that “being a priest and being an artist are naturals to me. One is into a spiritual and religious realm and the other is on the edge of it.” The works are sometimes framed singly, and sometimes arranged in compositions of 9, 12, 15, and 25. In addition to exhibiting with the Caldbeck, he has had solo shows at Colby College in Waterville, ME, and the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, ME, and at Neilsen Gallery in Boston, The Arts and Cultural Center in Biloxi, Mississippi, numerous other galleries throughout the country. He has a BFA from Maine College of Art Portland, and degrees in Philosophy and Theology from the University of Montreal, and St. Paul’s University in Ottawa.
