Paul D. Fuentes is a painter, director and creative director. A graduate of The Tyler School of Art and Architecture (BFA, magna cum laude), he began his career in New York advertising and television, eventually launching his own production company through Screen Gems, where he directed hundreds of commercials and campaigns. His love of cinematic storytelling carries into his painting practice, where narrative, mood, and atmosphere are central.
Blending classical composition with contemporary themes, Fuentes’ images first draw you in with beauty, mystery, or atmosphere—then invite you to linger, question, and interpret. His advertising and directing experience lend a contemporary cinematic quality and occasional irreverence to the vivid works.
Paul’s work has been exhibited at galleries on both coasts, including Sotheby’s New York, The White Room Gallery (East Hampton), Parlor Gallery (Asbury Park), Corridor Contemporary (Philadelphia) and the nationally juried Art in Politics show at Touchstone Gallery (Washington D.C.). His illustrations have appeared in The New York Times and other publications. His portrait My Heart New Opened (of Hillary Clinton) was featured in Creative Quarterly Journal and The Village Voice. His television work has earned recognition from the CLIO Awards, Art Directors Club, PROMAX, The New York Festivals, The Belding Awards, and the International Film and Television Awards.
A sense of story is often found in Paul’s paintings. In Strange Interlude, two women lie in a lush field of wildflowers, their bodies relaxed, eyes closed. One has skin the color of deep blue, the other a rich violet—an intentional shift that renders skin color symbolic rather than specific. There is closeness between them, though the nature of their bond remains undefined. Are they friends? Lovers? Strangers sharing a quiet escape? Strange Interlude is less a conclusion than a moment suspended. The story, ultimately, is yours to finish.
The Selfie Series features people capturing curated versions of themselves in absurd or risky settings. A stylish woman poses beside her wrecked Rolls-Royce in the middle of the desert. Another holds a latte and takes a selfie at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro—unaware or unconcerned that a lion watches nearby. In each painting, personal safety is traded for a moment of self-promotion, likely destined for a fleeting post and a scroll past. The series comments on the tension between image and reality in our social media age.
The Celebrity Portraits blend satire with visual surprise. Vladimir Putin, posed like a saintly St. Francis, wears a tank top that reads “Sun’s Out, Guns Out”—a phrase that takes on an unsettling literal twist. By placing well-known figures in unexpected settings, Fuentes invites viewers to reconsider how public personas are shaped, distorted, or mythologized. These works walk a line between humor and critique.
The Couples Series plays with identity, celebrity, and recognition through unexpected pairings of familiar figures. The King & Queen brings together Queen Elizabeth II and the Burger King mascot as a new kind of royalty. Kim & Kim unites Kim Kardashian and Kim Jong Un, while Bill & Wilma imagines Bill Clinton on a date with Wilma Flintstone. The humor is intentional, but so is the invitation to read between the lines—drawing your own conclusions from the mashups of politics, pop culture, and nostalgia.
Fuentes’ paintings have been shown in galleries on the east and west coasts including Sotheby’s New York, The White Room Gallery in East Hampton, Parlor Gallery in Asbury Park, Corridor Contemporary in Philadelphia and the nationally juried Art In Politics show at Touchstone Gallery in Washington D.C. Two works were selected for the 30th International Juried Exhibition at Viridian Gallery, New York. His portrait of Hillary Clinton, My Heart New Opened, was featured in Creative Quarterly Journal and published in The Village Voice. His illustrations have appeared in ads and publications including The New York Times. His TV work has been honored by CLIO, the Art Directors Club, The International Film and Television Awards, The Belding Awards, PROMAX, The New York Festivals and others.
Statement
Coming from a background in design and film, I approach each painting the way I would shoot a scene. I think in terms of plot, set, lighting, wardrobe, and cast. Each work is a moment frozen—like a compelling film still—inviting the viewer in and hinting at a larger narrative, one they complete for themselves. I’m drawn to scenes that feel cinematic: beautiful, mysterious, or cool on the surface, but layered with deeper, sometimes unexpected meaning. My work often combines contemporary themes with a classical painting style, creating a subtle tension between past and present. Influences range from classical painters like Velázquez and Sargent to modern voices such as Tiina Heiska, Joseph Yaeger, and Roxy Peroxyde. I also draw inspiration from filmmaking, advertising, and the language of cinematography—all of which shape how I frame and build each image.
Non-exclusive Representation
The White Room Gallery, East Hampton, NY
Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, NJ
Red Bank Design Center, Red Bank, NJ
Corridor Contemporary, Philadelphia, Tel Aviv
Exhibitions
2025 The White Room Gallery, Every Picture Tells a Story, East Hampton, NY, group exhibition
2025 Parlor Gallery, Double Trouble, Asbury Park, NJ, group exhibition
2025 The White Room Gallery, What’s Not to Love, East Hampton, NY, group exhibition
2024 The White Room Gallery, Cryptic, East Hampton, NY, group exhibition
2024 The White Room Gallery On the Edge, East Hampton, NY, group exhibition
2023 The White Room Gallery, Naughty / Nice, East Hampton, NY, group exhibition
2023 Corridor Contemporary, Philadelphia Featured, Philadelphia, PA, group exhibition
2023 The White Room Gallery, Yin Yang, Bridgehampton, NY, group exhibition
2023 OC Arts Center, Subject to Change, solo show, Ocean City, NJ
2022 Era Contemporary Gallery, Legends of the Moon. In collaboration with NASA’s Lunar Codex destined for the moon, Polaris Mission 2023
2022 Corridor Contemporary Gallery, Philadelphia Featured, group exhibition
2021 Corridor Contemporary Gallery, Person to Person: An International Survey of Portraiture, Philadelphia, PA
2020 Alfa Art Gallery, Configured Personas group exhibition, New Brunswick, NJ
2020 Las Laguna Gallery, Portraits, Laguna Beach, CA, group show
2020 Solo show, Portraits & Pop, Ocean City Arts Center, Ocean City, NJ
2019 Viridian Artists Gallery 30th International Juried Exhibition, New York, NY
2019 Philadelphia Sketch Club 11th Annual Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA
2019 Maxum Gallery, Hearts and Minds, Atlantic City, NJ, group exhibition
2019 Newport Beach Annual Art Exhibition, Newport Beach, CA
2018 Sotheby’s Ad Art Show, group exhibition, New York, NY, group exhibition
2016 Touchstone Gallery, Art As Politics National Juried Exhibition, Washington DC
2016 Featured in Creative Quarterly Journal