About PAUL

Paul Atkinson is a self-taught American artist working in the photographic medium.  His work celebrates not only the natural landscape, but also explores the human landscape from a detached examination of what is left behind.  He employs the assumed truthfulness of the camera to present a reality that frequently transcends the limits of human visual perception, through both night photography and by including light from the near-infrared spectrum.

Atkinson’s work has been exhibited nationally in numerous juried shows, and resides in private and institutional collections.  He has served as an Artist in Residence at several National Parks, and is an advocate for dark night skies with Darksky International.  He resides in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Learn about the growing threat of light pollution and how you can help protect our dark night skies through Darksky’s website here.

ARTIST RESIDENCIES

Great Basin National Park, NV, 2024

Petrified Forest National Park, AZ, 2024

Capitol Reef National Park, UT, 2023

Shenandoah National Park, VA, 2023

See a 5-min. video of Paul’s residency at Shenandoah National Park here.

Selected juried Shows & Awards

2024

Hon. Mention, The Artist’s Eye Exhibition, Marin Society of Artists

2024 Juried Exhibition, Yadkin Arts Council, Yadkinville, NC

2024 Bank of the Arts National Juried Exhibition, Craven Arts Council, New Bern, NC

37th September Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA

4th Annual Open Juried Digital Photographic Exhibit, Cary Photographic Artists

66th National Multi-Media Juried Art Exhibition, Maria V. Howard Arts Center, Rocky Mount, NC

2023

1st. Place, LIGHT and DARK Juried Exhibition, Marin Society of Artists

Art Through the Lens 2023, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY

ConTEXT II Exhibition, Art Fluent

National Multi-Media Juried Art Exhibition, Maria V. Howard Arts Center, Rocky Mount, NC

Fine Arts Exhibition: Small Changes, Decatur Arts Alliance, Decatur, GA

Hon. Mention, EXPOSED 2023 Juried Exhibition, Marin Society of Artists

2022

1st. Place, 15th Annual Open Juried Photography Exhibition, Cary Photographic Artists, Cary, NC

1st. Place, Captured Through a Lens, San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center

National Multi-Media Juried Art Show, Wilson Arts, Wilson, NC

Hon. Mention, Through the Lens Juried Exhibition, Marin Society of Artists

6th Annual National Juried Art Show & Competition, Center for Contemporary Arts, Abiline, TX

Nightvisions, Coconino Center for the Arts, Flagstaff, AZ

5th Annual Art of Photography Juried Competition, Prairie Village Arts Council, Prairie Village, KS

2021

Hon. Mention, 14th Annual Open Juried Photography Exhibition, Cary Photographic Artists, Cary, NC

Through the Lens Juried Exhibition, Marin Society of Artists

5th Annual National Juried Art Show & Competition, Center for Contemporary Arts, Abilene, TX

Art Through the Lens International Exhibition, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY

The Schwa Show, Emerge Gallery & Art Center, Greenville, NC

34th September Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA

26th Annual Juried Exhibition, Fine Arts League of Cary, Cary, NC

4th Annual Art of Photography Juried Competition, Prairie Village Arts Council, Prairie Village, KS

7th Annual Allegany National Photography Competition and Exhibition, Allegany Arts, Cumberland, MD

6th Annual National Juried Photographic Show, SAGE Community Arts, Sheridan, WY

2019 2nd. Place, 53rd Founders Juried Awards Exhibition, Naples Art, Naples, FL

2017 1st. Place, 10th Annual Open Juried Photography Exhibition, Cary Photographic Artists, Cary, NC