Paul Branton was born in 1973 in Chicago. He was influenced at an early age by the sights and sounds of the South Side’s urban environment. Writing short stories and putting on plays with his sister quickly became a passion and a means of expressing himself. It was this passion that guided his education, which ultimately guided his career.
Choosing visual art as his main focus, Branton entered Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, majoring in Commercial Art with a strong emphasis in painting. While at Millikin, he discovered a love for poetry as the intensity of his desire for painting grew stronger, and eventually put on a one-man art exhibit of his works. During these same years, he also helped his college buddy Skee Skinner with several student film projects, opening up another doorway from which to express himself.
Not only taking on writing and production credits, Paul spent much of his time on both sides of the camera playing supporting and lead roles. Branton combined the two art forms to create a series of paintings for the feature film Pieces of a Dream, in which he also portrayed a main character. Also merging visual art and poetry, Paul put together the upcoming coffee table book To Dream in Color.
Branton has been commissioned to create murals in the metropolitan Chicago area, curated museum exhibitions, and served as a juror for the prestigious annual Black Creativity exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry.
