PHANTOM FACES Series

(September 2016 – June 2020) Available in the Online Store

Born in late 2016, Phantom Faces began as an obsessive experiment: surreal portraits fractured through the lens of cubism. I chased impossible angles, melted features, and impossible gazes until a signature language emerged—sharp geometric shards, floating eyes, and a robotic like look that has the feel of a tribal mask.

These are not quiet paintings. They stare back. They shift when you move. Every viewer sees something different: a lover, a ghost, a forgotten self. The open-endedness is the point. I live for the moment someone gasps and says, “That’s exactly how I feel, but I never had the words.”

When collaborating on these pieces with my wife our canvases are pure alchemy—her fearless color storms crashing into my structural chaos. Together we built a universe of faces that feel alive, mischievous, haunted, and hopeful all at once.

Topped with my signature three-point crown (a nod to Basquiat, and the notion we are all kings and queens) , Phantom Faces series has been one of my most commercially successful bodies of work. In 2020 I decided to take a break from painting them to move outside of my comfort zone.

“If you know Paul Columbus you probably have heard of Phantom Faces or at the very least seen one over the years . 6 years ago today Paul lost his father & best friend. His dad was a fighter and although they told him a timeline for his diagnosis he well surpassed it in his desire to spend just a little more time with his loved ones. Joe had an energy that lit up any room he found himself in . His ability to make people laugh and connect to all types of people through a human element of love and laughter was magnetic to be around. Paul is so much like Joe and after his father passed Phantom Faces was born . These one line contour drawings came out of Paul in a way I know is no coincidence to the timing of Joe’s passing. Paul paints and creates not only through his artwork but through the way in which he lives his life. Joe’s energy lives on and that energy never dies . This specific Phantom Face was made with Joe’s mantra he adapted towards the end of his physical life. Phantom Faces is more than a drawing on canvas or paper . These faces are a declaration to live life like tomorrow isn’t promised and to always inspire yourself and others to do the same . Through tragedy comes new life and Paul Columbus is living proof of that. Until we meet again Joe Columbus your legacy is forever.” - Jennifer Columbus 2021