AVAILABLE WORKS

Canadian-born PAULETTE MARTSOLF enjoyed a very successful, 30-year-long career as a women’s fashion designer, manufacturer, and retail store owner in Dallas, Texas. A few years ago, she decided to switch gears, sold her business, and embarked on a fast-track “second” career as an abstract artist working in multi-media.

Her success in the art world came quickly. In 2025, Paulette was awarded 5th place in the world in the Abstract Art category by the prestigious AMERICAN ART AWARDS, in which top emerging and mid-career artists from 63 nations competed in the acclaimed, annual juried competition. Entries were judged by 20 esteemed U.S. art galleries.

In 2026, she was selected by ART VOICES MAGAZINE as a “Standout Artist” at one of Dallas’ preeminent galleries, the Christopher Martin Gallery.

Paulette’s work can also now be seen at a prominent gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico and in the permanent collection of THE ART BUSINESS INCUBATOR in South Padre Island, Texas. Since she started creating her art only a few years ago (in 2020), she has already received multiple commissions and numerous sales; and she has been featured in several Solo and Group Exhibitions in the Dallas area.

Born in the striking, dramatic island landscapes of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Paulette discovered her deep-rooted love of art at an early age. Raised in this source of incredible beauty, Paulette soon began to recognize her strong affinity with the natural environment and how it would later inspire her artistic pursuits.

She went on to excel in her educational life in Toronto and Paris, majoring in fashion design. After college she quickly began to realize her dream as she embarked on a multi-decade profession as a fashion designer creating captivating and alluring “art to wear”, which later stimulated her passion to pursue a new calling in the stimulating and fascinating world of abstract art.

Paulette’s artistic process begins with the application of paint and ink to paper or Tyvek. Then, amplifying on her prior work in fashion design, she adds techniques such as weaving, sewing, sculpting, and layering textiles and other found objects, thereby enhancing the dimensionality and textures of her pieces. Her works convey a graceful sense of natural beauty, calmness and tranquility.

At the core, Paulette’s artistic expression is a quiet exploration of the depths of color, texture, motion and form, inspirited by her deep connections with her Canadian roots, her treasured life experiences, and her style, poise and femininity.

ARTIST PROCESS

My work explores the intersection of textiles, memory, and the human form through a woven methodology that evolved from my earlier career as a women’s fashion designer. Years spent working with fabric, structure, and drape shaped the way I approach materials today, where the language of textiles becomes both my medium and my narrative.

Using a process of weaving and layering, I incorporate a variety of materials—fabric, thread, filmstrip, and found elements—allowing each piece to carry fragments of story and history within it. These materials are chosen not only for their texture and visual qualities, but also for the memories and meanings they hold. By interlacing them together, I create compositions that feel both tactile and deeply personal.

Curved forms appear frequently throughout my work, often echoing the natural curves of the female body. These lines suggest movement, softness, and strength, celebrating femininity while also referencing the way fabric naturally folds and flows around the form. Through this interplay of structure and fluidity, the work becomes a reflection of both the material world and the lived experiences embedded within it.

Ultimately, my practice is about connection—between past and present, material and memory, body and textile. Each woven surface becomes a space where stories are held, layered, and revealed through color, composition and texture.