Spin Art by Paul Simonson

Different facets of art have fascinated me all my life, but I became enamored with motorized art (spin art) when I first discovered it in 1970 at a DesMoines, Iowa amusement park. In 1985, I developed my own machine and began to experiment with various consistencies and types of paint as well as motor speeds. My daughter and I have spent many hours "slinging paint" on everything from cardboard, to plexiglas, to t-shirts, table tops and even ceiling tiles. My website offers a sampling of the spin art products I create such as one of a kind tables, clocks, dog tags, frisbees, scallops, wall paintings, wall hangings, refrigerator magnets, yo-yo balloons, ceiling tiles and more. If you have an idea for a spin art project that isn't listed on my website, please feel free to contact me and I will do my best to accommodate you.

In January of 2000, a well-respected Bemidji area photographer saw my work and asked me, "What are you waiting for Paul? You are sitting on a gold-mine here!" He provided me the nudge I needed to launch me into starting my own art business, Creative Imaginations.

My spin machine soon transformed itself into a four-motor spin art machine for birthday parties and other events in the 80's and 90's. I shared my technique with students at Central Elementary School in Bemidji where I was employed as a Custodian/Engineer.

I am visually challenged with retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease which has left me with severe "tunnel vision", and that could even take my remaining vision. My painting has given me new values and a new focus. I am inspired and find joy in making paintings that "explode" in brilliant colors off the paper. I love the sound of awe as people use their imaginations to discover "hidden" worlds within my art. I am humbled by the rays of light I sometimes see as my art encourages others to deal with challenges life brings. Sometimes even a disaster in my painting can be turned around to where the brighter top layers of paint are greatly enhanced by the dark disaster beneath. This, I feel, is often reflected in daily life where we choose to find the "beauty" rather than "the beast."