Art can be defined in many ways such as a sensible recreation of beautiful objects or sensible recreation of thoughts and opinions. Of course the thoughts and opinions of the artist do not always match up with those of the art appreciator. Paul’s art with its very unique creative aspect of thoughts and opinions can be considered as one of those thought provoking arts. People these days are swamped by beautiful creations, however, those that quirk ones perspective are few and far between. For instance the art piece titled ‘Seeking Good Conversation’ appears as a simple idea where in a mobile phone is represented as the object, however, the message is not as simple as the title or the object. In my humble opinion perhaps Paul wants to depict the loneliness faced by most people these days and what they are truly after, however, they are left with only this object and the desire to do so in the end. Another equally thought provoking art piece is the one titled ‘Modern Greetings’. This art piece in my opinion shows the other side of relationships these days and that which is centered on sexual fantasies. The idea of shaking a ladies breast as a way to greet her while she is actually not happy about it indicates the need for the man to be in control and his only desire is to treat a woman as a sexual object. Furthermore some of Paul’s art like those of many great abstract modern day artists leave the art appreciator baffled more than convinced of the purpose for the art piece. One such piece for me lies in the one titled ‘Three-Hour Tour’. What does Paul mean by showing two people’s backs walking in what looks like a lobby of some sort with a few plants and lots of lights and doors? If someone enquired for my opinion I would definitely be lost for words. Perhaps a good idea when showing of these pieces of art would also be a brief description of the artist’s opinion or perhaps even some clues as to what the objects in the picture represent. Of course some art pieces have a comical side to it or even more some make a political statement. For example the art piece titled ‘Certificates’ shows the title as a 7 SECOND AWARD meaning that it should take me the viewer probably 7 seconds or less to appreciate this art and in turn the artist thanks me for taking the time to view it. This cannot be achieved for no art show can be appreciated in 7 seconds making this art piece a bit comical. And of course the one titled ‘Strap-on Ballsacks’ again attempts to ridicule the sexual fantasies of human beings. As far as making a political statement the art piece titled ‘Resist’ appears to portray this aspect. The different colors of papers used with messages on them could show the varying degrees of getting the pink slip for instance or MOU signed between two countries by their respective delegates, but finally serving no other true purpose. In sum Paul’s art with his varied pieces from those described above and others titled as follows ‘Please Do not Climb’; Corner Piece’; Pillory for Market Place Mall’; ‘Free Poster’; ‘Paul Shortt Shocks Chicago’; ‘ROFL CON’; ‘Calvinball; ‘Missed Connections; ‘Interactive signs’; ‘Collaborations’; ‘Nimby’s’; PSI Paul Shortt Invitational; and ‘Reference Letters for Dating' all portray a deeper message that can be not only baffling, but also stir ones senses to think about it.
