New Orleans artist Paul Tarver composes pictures in consideration of art historical and architectural precedent. His studio is often full of art historical texts open to the page with Tarver's current research interest. Whether looking at an artist role model, prehistoric wall paintings, or even medieval architecture, remnants of his studies often show up in his work. Tarver's most recent paintings evoke architectural motifs from Lyon, France with stylized cypress trees and highly textured surfaces. The impasto in his work is Tarver's signature. The artist works in layers of wax and oil building up the surface into paintings that look like frescoes with their matte texture and soft palette. Tarver studied at the Pratt Institute earning his BFA in 1976 and his MFA in 1980. He also serves as the curator of Pre-Columbian and Native American art at the New Orleans Museum of Art. His paintings are in the collections of the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Tulane University, the University of Southwestern Louisiana, the Aquarium of the Americas, and Harrah's New Orleans Hotel and Casino.