ARCHITECTURAL
Architectural Paintings in Light, Mineral & Memory
Architectural-scale mineral paintings for designers, architects, hospitality projects, and private collectors. Created from limestone, marble dust, turquoise, mica, hematite, graphite, earth pigments, and phosphorescent materials, Paul Seftel’s paintings bring the presence of the natural world into contemporary architectural spaces. Built through layers of mineral matter and light-reactive materials, these works shift throughout the day, revealing different qualities as light changes. By day, the paintings offer depth, texture, and geological presence. By night, selected works release stored light, revealing subtle luminescence and a second visual experience after dark. Each work is created as a lasting dialogue between material, light, architecture, and memory.
A Living Surface
Seftel’s paintings are constructed from finely ground stone, mineral pigments, metal-derived color, and archival binders. Materials may include limestone, marble dust, turquoise powder, mica, hematite, graphite, copper pigments, earth oxides, and phosphorescent minerals. Rather than simply covering a surface, these materials become the surface itself—creating paintings with a physical presence that responds to daylight, shadow, and architectural lighting.
For Residential, Hospitality & Commercial Spaces
Available works range from intimate pieces to large-scale statement paintings suitable for:
- Luxury residences
- Boutique hotels and resorts
- Hospitality environments
- Corporate collections
- Wellness and healthcare spaces
- Public and cultural venues Each painting is intended to engage both the architecture and the viewer over time
Day & Night
A defining characteristic of Seftel’s current work is its ability to transition between two visual states.
During the day, the paintings function as richly layered landscapes and abstract environments built from mineral color and light. As evening falls, phosphorescent elements emerge gradually, revealing hidden passages, shifting atmospheres, and quiet luminosity. These are not illuminated objects. They are paintings that absorb, store, and release light—offering a slower and more contemplative experience of time.
Commissions & Collaborations
Paul Seftel works directly with architects, interior designers, developers, art consultants, and collectors to create site-responsive works for residential and commercial settings. Projects may be developed around scale, placement, lighting conditions, architectural context, and site-specific concepts. Each commission begins with a conversation about the space and the experience the artwork will create within it.
About the Artist
Based near Santa Fe, New Mexico, Paul Seftel has spent more than three decades exploring the intersection of earth materials, memory, landscape, and light. Working from Seftel Gallery in historic Cerrillos, his paintings draw upon geological processes, desert environments, ancient pigments, and contemporary architectural contexts to create works that continue to evolve with the light around them.