PAUL WAGER

“My painting and sculpture is in many ways a visual record of the passing of time,
related ideologies and isolated identities. It is a memorial to myself, to existence,
power and its abuse”.

Having taken a particular interest in the technical aspects of sculpture, Paul studied Fine Art Foundry Practice at The Royal College of Art and trained as a coded welder with MacDermott Inc Scotland before moving on to research British Steel Sculpture at Loughborough University.

His academic teaching career started at Cheltenham School of Art in 1975 where he met John Humphreys and Julia Reeves, who went on to become his wife. Wager and Reeves had 3 sons John Paul (b 1984) Francis Conley (b 1990) and Joseph Roman (b 1993). He took on further teaching positions at Winchester School of Art, Central St Martins, Bristol Polytechnic and Loughborough University.

The most prominent of his early large fabricated steel pieces, 'La Retrait', 'Revolution', 'Pulse' and 'Strike' are situated in the grounds of Loughborough University. Wager's most recent sculpture is cast in bronze at Pangolin Editions and incorporates corten steel plinths which are an integral part of the work. He uses text in both paintings and sculptures. His paintings are large complex images and exist in a zone of ambiguity and contradiction: between macho and kitsch, erotic and ironic, politics and religion and are not hall marked with any single definable perspective.

Whilst at Royal College of Art, the late William D Figg who became a life long friend provided a studio and apartment in Teddington where Wager worked with close friend the sculptor John Humphreys.

. He also worked at Lypiatt Park (Lynn Chadwick) in 1975. Other work placements include Bristol Polytechnic from 1985 - 1992 with friend, the late Ernest Pascoe (Head of Fine Art) who nominated him for RSBS.

Assistant Robert Crookston joined him at Bristol where 'Pulse' and 'Strike' were built. Thereafter he joined the staff at Loughborough University and formed a long standing career bond with Dave Morris (Head of Sculpture). He became a member of The Loughborough Group and exhibited widely with them.

Upon his return to Hartlepool he had his first One Man show (New Order) in 1991 curated by Vince Rea at The Bede Gallery Jarrow where the Loughborough Group also exhibited.He has been living and working in Hartlepool in close association with Pangolin Fine Art Foundry since 2002. He has worked with Pangolin Foundry for the past 25 years.