Paul D. Fuentes is a New York–based figurative painter whose work transforms ordinary moments into intimate, resonant scenes. Formerly a commercial director, Fuentes draws on a filmmaker’s instinct for composition, light and the subtleties of human presence. Working exclusively in oil, he isolates moments charged with quiet significance—perhaps a revelation, a secret exchanged, or an event about to unfold. Each painting captures an initiation of experience, inviting viewers to imagine what has just happened and what might come next.
Fuentes’s approach blends classical painting technique with a contemporary sensibility. His figures inhabit spaces that feel both real and subtly heightened, where atmosphere, gesture, and color combine to evoke emotional and narrative tension. By focusing on small, carefully observed details, he creates images that feel at once timeless and immediate, poised between observation and interpretation.
Fuentes’s work has been exhibited nationally, including Sotheby’s New York, The White Room Gallery (East Hampton), Parlor Gallery (Asbury Park), Corridor Contemporary (Philadelphia), and the juried Art in Politics exhibition at Touchstone Gallery (Washington, D.C.). His illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, and his portraiture has been featured in Creative Quarterly and The Village Voice. Prior to his painting career, his work as a director earned recognition from the CLIO Awards, the Art Directors Club, PROMAX, the New York Festivals, the Belding Awards, and the International Film & Television Awards.
Statement
I’m drawn to scenes that feel beautiful or enigmatic on the surface, yet are layered with subtle, often unexpected meaning. Moments of revelation, quiet exchange or imminent change unfold within each work inviting viewers to complete the story for themselves. Each painting is like a film still suspended in time—an intimate moment charged with possibility.
My work merges classical oil technique with contemporary sensibilities. Figures, gestures, and light are carefully thought out, balancing realism with suggestion, precision with spontaneity. Ultimately, the paintings exist in a threshold between observation and imagination, offering viewers a space to pause, reflect, and inhabit the quiet intensity of daily experience. Influences range from Velázquez and Sargent to Richard Prince and Joseph Yaeger. Film, advertising, and cinematography also shape my concepts, composition and narrative.
Representation
The White Room Gallery, East Hampton, NY
Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, NJ
Exhibitions
2025 Parlor Gallery, Magic Hour, Asbury Park, NJ, group exhibition,
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