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Paul Welch: Always Discovering Watercolors

Throughout his twenty-seven years as Chairman of the Art department at Northwestern Michigan College, Paul Welch was well-known for his commitment and dedication to fostering the arts. He taught painting, drawing, design, sculpture, printmaking and art history before retiring in 1987. During his time he was a source of inspiration for hundreds of students involved in the arts.

Welch’s vision of an arts community led him to become one of the founding members of the Traverse Area Arts Council in 1969. His most recent endeavors have been put toward the development of the Dennos Museum Center.

Graduating from Michigan State University with a Master of Arts degree, Welch was influenced by the bold coloring of the German Expressionists and the facetting form characteristic of Picasso’s analytical cubism.

His artistic career included partnership in the Welch-Holdeman Studios, which created stained glass windows and mosaics for churches throughout the midwest including St. Francis Church in Traverse City. He has participated in various group shows and is listed in the American Artists of Renown. He has won a number of awards, been appointed Assistant Chairman, Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters, and his works are held in both public and private collections.

“A painting can be endless created, and I’m always discovering things while I paint,” says the artist, “The act of watercolor painting suggests new possibilities that I will never exhaust. I allow myself to fall into my inner visions and to see the light springing up from everywhere.”

Paul Welch may be reached at PO Box 219, Rapid City, MI 49676 or by calling (231) 322-6139.