Great Naples history from A Storyteller, a Preservationist, and an Ambassador for Culture through his Art: Paul Arsenault : Episode 5

Spotlight on Good People | The Salon Podcast by Robert of Philadelphia

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A native of Montreal, Paul Arsenault grew up in Hingham, MA, where his love for the sea and travel emerged. After graduating from the Art Institute of Boston in 1973, he began a six-month stint as a deckhand on a research vessel. He signed off in Florida in 1974 and began his professional painting career. With Naples as his base, he has embarked on painting trips to the Caribbean, Central and South America, Asia, the South Pacific, Indonesia, Australia, Hawaii, Europe, and the Middle East.

​Paul’s early exposure to and knowledge of working ports and exotic harbors, combined with his talent for zeroing in immediately on the essence of a place, have made him a popular choice for commissions requiring extensive yet efficient travel. Paintings from these trips hang in public places and private and corporate collections around the world.

Annual fundraising shows have been a hallmark of his career, and since l983, these have benefited a variety of non-profit organizations devoted to health, environmental protection, and historic preservation.

Paul’s vibrant and widely collected paintings reflect a rhythm and pattern that distinguish his easily recognizable style. His lifelong pursuit to paint contemporary life in coastal communities is enhanced by his passion for history and his natural storytelling ability.

Paul and his wife Eileen live in Naples, Florida. Arsenault Studio & Banyan Arts Gallery is located a stones-throw from their historic home and vintage cottages that are nestled under a grand banyan tree. The Banyan Arts Social and Pleasure Club, a publishing division of Arsenault Studios, was inspired by the artists, writers, musicians, and preservations who have stayed at their artful compound over its nearly one-hundred-year history.