Paul Nixon
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Born in Dublin Ireland, Paul Nixon spent much of his early childhood years growing up in County Sligo, located in the North West of Ireland, set in the shadow of a two thousand foot tall mountain known as Tievebaun. Paul’s grandmother, Margaret, a mystical woman, had a great influence over him. A farmers wife, she spent a good deal of her 83 years living on the slopes of this mountain and its wild glaciated lands where she was tuned into the historical, mystical and legendary wonders that enveloped the area. Margaret endeared Paul with these qualities which allowed his imagination to evolve and develop that would serve him well in later years. Revered Irish poet William Butler Yeats was also drawn to this area. Yeats one of the foremost figures of 20 Century literature loved Sligo, and his goal was to cultivate a tradition of a hidden Ireland that existed largely in the anthropological evidence of its surviving customs, beliefs, and holy places. He was a master of the traditional verse and was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1923. Paul and WB Yeats both share the emotions and inspirations of that ancient land and its mysteries. In fact Two of Paul’s sculptures are now on permanent display alongside the works of WB Yeats in the Sligo Museum. Today Paul lives with his wife Francesca and daughter Ana Claire in Greensboro North Carolina. In his 20 years living here he has carved out a reputation as a sculptor and artist and much of his work is influenced by those early day experiences which capture the imagination of so many who have come to know his work.