The Vision

When he was nine years old, Paul Polson lay on his bed in his family home, burning up with fever. He experienced a "vision" during that fever that repeated itself several times throughout his life. The message was clear during the vision, but Paul couldn't describe it when he woke. What it did do was give him confidence that he could do anything he wanted and succeed.

In The Vision, he shares his story: A lifelong passion for the arts and a quest to understand himself and the world around him. 

Born in Laramie in 1948, Polson grew up in small Wyoming towns. He moved to San Diego in the early 1970s, where he painted and sculpted in studios that he created out of forgotten ballrooms and other abandoned spaces. Polson eventually moved to Seattle, and then Kitsap County, Washington, where he started his own inflatable sculpture business and continued to paint. 

Polson talks about his personal life; two unsuccessful marriages and the children who paid the price. He describes the pain of choosing between pursuing his art career in California or staying in Wyoming to maintain the right to visit his children.

Paul tells, in diary-like detail, of his journey through Europe and the hilarious way he won the money for this trip. His goal was to see all of the major art galleries. But, of course, Polson painted during his travels.

The Vision describes the life of a passionate and devoted artist. It is one man's story of the sacrifices made in realizing the dreams of an art career amidst responsibilities and challenges.

Paul Polson was born and raised in small towns in Wyoming and had an early obsession with the arts. He earned a bachelor's degree in art education at the University of Wyoming. Polson spent most of his life pursuing studio painting in San Diego and Seattle.