Paul Maxwell didn’t spend his life as an artist. For decades, his work centered on science, engineering, and public service. Painting came later, shaped by everything that came before it.
“I set my brushes aside and followed a career in science and engineering for the next 50 years,” Maxwell said.
Maxwell is one of several local artists set to showcase work at Art in the Garden on May 9, a community event that will feature a range of mediums displayed across private gardens in Picacho Hills, with a starting point at 1338 Picacho Hills Drive.
The son of a military father, Maxwell spent his early years moving across the world, living in places like Germany and Japan before eventually settling in El Paso as a teenager. He showed an early interest in art, sketching, and drawing as a child. He even took mail-in art courses as a teenager. That interest, however, didn’t turn into a lifelong pursuit at the time. In college, Maxwell made a decision that would shape the next several decades of his life.
“I just realized I didn’t want to be a starving artist,” he said.
Instead, he built a career across multiple fields, including engineering, government work, and academia. His work took him into roles as a professor, consultant and research leader, keeping him closely tied to problem-solving and discovery. Years later, that creative drive never fully left. It simply took a different form.
“It’s a very organic process,” Maxwell said. “It’s less logical, but it has its own logic.”
About 14 years ago, a series of life changes created an opportunity to revisit something he had set aside. Travel played a key role in that shift, particularly time spent in Florence, Italy, where he studied and worked alongside other artists. The experience introduced him to new techniques and a different way of thinking. Instead of structured, step-by-step processes, the work leaned into experimentation and instinct.
“You would spend hours painting and just learning from other artists,” he said.
That approach continues to shape how he works today. Maxwell describes himself as a representational artist, focusing on recognizable forms while allowing room for interpretation and movement within each piece.
“My trees look like trees, and my mountains look like mountains,” he said. “I’m trying to create an image that tells a story.”
That sense of storytelling has become central to his work, influenced in part by his upbringing and the experiences he’s carried over time.
“I also tell stories, but I tell them with my brushes,” he said.
Many of those stories are rooted in place. Maxwell often draws inspiration from the landscapes of southern New Mexico, where shifting light, color and atmosphere provide a constant source of material. His work also includes scenes and subjects inspired by his travels, from Europe to the Pacific.
“The Southwest is a very vibrant environment,” he said.
Some pieces carry deeper meanings. One of his works, “23 Stars Over El Paso,” was created as a tribute to the victims of the 2019 Walmart shooting. The painting features 23 star-like forms, each representing a life lost, with names embedded within the composition. For Maxwell, art can serve as both expression and reflection.
“It’s nice to sell a piece,” he said. “But more importantly, it’s about showing it and getting a response.”
That connection with viewers is part of what draws him to events like Art in the Garden, where artists and visitors share the same space.
“It’s an opportunity to spend time with people and talk about what you’re trying to do,” he said.
With multiple artists spread across several garden spaces, the event offers a setting where that interaction happens naturally. For Maxwell, it’s less about a single piece and more about the experience of sharing the work itself.
