Paula Kagan is a Hudson Valley-based visual artist, focusing on figurative work. Typically abstracting the human figure, her art explores paradoxical themes concerned with the human experiences of community, aloneness, alienation, connection, stillness, and movement often expressed through her intuitive juxtaposition of figures, her use of bold and muted color patterns, and the manifestation of inner illumination. 

Born in Detroit, Kagan developed a deep connection to the Detroit Institute of Arts, where she took classes, assisted faculty, and spent time under the Diego Rivera murals in Kresge Court. She worked towards a BFA at Eastern Michigan University, where visiting scholar John Mills influenced her approach to figurative sculpture using ciment fondue. Her earned doctorate of philosophy continues to inform her art.

 An active WAAM (Woodstock Artist Association and Museum) artist, Kagan has exhibited in member and juried shows, as well as at the Woodstock School of Art and Byrdcliffe Guild. Her work is held in private collections across the U.S. and Canada, and she regularly donates art to local organizations.