Pause, Breathe, Engage: A Conversation with Artist & Gallery Owner Christina H. Paul

THE COMMA Fine Art Gallery supports artists and fosters a community around engaging with art

Mar 20, 2025

Hi friends,

I recently came across a new art gallery opening in my neck of the woods, outside of Buffalo, NY. As a complement to my series of lit mag profiles, I thought this would be a great opportunity to share a new perspective — one that turns out to have a lot of overlap with the role editor of a literary publication.

Artist and gallery owner Christina H. Paul and gallery Operations and Marketing Coodinator Mia Arnold were gracious enough to indulge my curiosity and share a bit about THE COMMA’s development as an art space, the work included in the new opening, and the importance of community in supporting a local art scene.

In addition to highlighting the good work of my own local creative comrades, I hope a piece like this inspires you to investigate your own local art nooks, whether it a bookshop, music venue, or gallery.

To learn more about THE COMMA Gallery, see www.thecommafineart.com.

Aaron: Before we get into your backstory, I’ll acknowledge that you have a gallery opening event coming up in mid-March. At this point, what’s your life like in a day-to-day sense? What’s a part of your preparations that you look forward to most?

Christina: I have been jumping between gallery logistics and processes while trying to find time for my own painting. Since I was approached about the possibility of re-opening the gallery in a new location, much of my time has been spent organizing — holding many meetings to work out a business plan, finding a valuable partner in artist Deborah Hill, creating an LLC, reaching out to artists, contracting artists, and hiring arts administrator Mia Arnold as Gallery Operations and Marketing Coordinator. It has been crazy but worth it. The artists delivered their art on March 1^st, and we had two weeks to hang the show and prepare for the opening. I couldn’t wait to actually hang all of the art!

Mia: As soon as I started at THE COMMA, I began creating a marketing plan and content calendar, as well as developing strategies to bring in customers and boost sales. I currently also work full time as an Event Manager in Niagara Falls, NY, so I have to plan and organize my time as efficiently as I can. After I had my tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines laid out, I focused a lot on design — whether that be social media posts, website layout, or print. On a typical day, I am planning social media posts, writing copy, updating the website, creating promotional material, and reaching out to businesses/organizations for potential collaborations or events!

Aaron: Can you share how the collection of 15 artists who are involved in the new opening came together? What was the development or curation process like for this event?

Christina: Before I could move forward with the location, I needed to make sure that artists would be interested and agree to be represented by THE COMMA for a fee and commission. Most galleries typically receive a 40-50% commission of artwork price once sold. We are trying a different model, whereby we represent a limited group of artists, each paying a monthly fee, and charging a commission that is considerably lower than the standard.

I reached out to artists in Western New York that I knew through the previous iteration of the gallery, who might welcome an opportunity to show their work on an ongoing basis. We were able to build a distinguished roster of 15 artists (including Deborah and myself). Our artists offer a range of styles and media, from abstractions to representational works in oils, watercolors, acrylics, pastel, mixed media, collage, photography, and sculpture.

Aaron: Can you share a bit about one or more pieces from the show that you speak to you personally? Not so much “favorites,” but perhaps ones that you are particularly excited to have as part of the show?

Mia: As an art lover and outdoor enthusiast, I was drawn to Fred Fielding’s pastel pieces that showcase nature in WNY. I moved from Michigan to Buffalo last summer and spent a good chunk of my time exploring and hiking through the different state parks in our area. I felt like his paintings were a dreamy interpretation of the charming forests, fields, and lakes around us.

Chasing Shadows by Fred Fielding

Soft pastel over watercolor

Aaron: Taking a step back, how did you get interested in expanding your work as an artist into owning a gallery? You started COMMA at a different location in 2023 before moving to the current spot in Orchard Park, NY, so how did the concept for the gallery come about initially?

Christina: When I moved to the Buffalo area in 2019, I left a long career in the children’s book art world where I directed a department of designers, artists, and illustrators. It was wonderful, highly collaborative work. When I retired and moved to Orchard Park, NY, I felt a void. I created a studio space in my home and was eager to connect with other artists. One of those artists was Tami Fuller who invited me to show my work at her art center. Shortly after, we started talking about running a gallery and planning what that would look like. Soon, we added another artist, Liz Birardi, to the team. Then the space in East Aurora, NY became available to us and we opened in June 2023. We had a very busy year hosting nine different shows before our lease ended. I could not be doing what I am doing now without that great experience.

The name, THE COMMA, came from my knowledge of the bookmaking craft, love of typography, and my love of singing and music. I want people to PAUSE, BREATHE, ENGAGE.

Aaron: Part of your mission is to represent local and regional artists. Can you speak about the art community (and larger cultural scene) in Buffalo and the Western New York region? What makes it an appealing place to be an artist?

Christina: There’s a lot of artistic talent and art history in Western New York, headed up by the prestigious Buffalo Society of Artists, one of the oldest in the nation. The Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society and many other art associations foster opportunities for artists to exhibit work and win prizes. I am pleased with the camaraderie of the artists and the art groups.

Aaron: What are some new or ongoing developments you’d like to see in the local art community (and additionally that would be beneficial to other local art communities around the country)? Most of Wild Roof Journal’s audience is made up of writers and artists, and in many cases they seek community of like-minded and supportive people, so I’m very curious about the “community-building” theme generally.

Christina: There is a lack of good exhibit space in WNY, and that may be the case in other regions. Many art associations are looking for spaces to exhibit the work of their membership. One of my hopes is that there will be more venues that will open their space to the art community.

Mia: With a background in arts administration but a career path that has led me largely towards event management and planning, I would like to see more events in the local art community. Coming from Ann Arbor, MI, an extremely art-centric city, there was a lot of collaboration and events between arts organizations, local businesses, restaurants, and the University of Michigan. I believe these partnerships not only attract new audiences but also make art more accessible and integrated into the community.

“The gallery name, THE COMMA, came from my knowledge of the bookmaking craft, love of typography, and my love of singing and music. I want people to PAUSE, BREATHE, ENGAGE.”

Aaron: You plan to host monthly informal artist talks and salon-type gatherings (called CONVOS) to educate and allow space for dialogue on art. What inspired these gatherings? Perhaps, you can say something about what types of conversations you’re most looking forward to having as these CONVOS take shape?

Christina: “CONVOS at THE COMMA” were very popular at our previous location. They were tied into our exhibits and themed group shows, designed to bring more people into the gallery. The themed group shows encouraged artists to think about their work and how it conveyed the theme and created discussion topics for the CONVOS. Some of the themes were “INSIDE, OUTSIDE, IN BETWEEN”; “KNOWN, IMAGINED, EXPERIENCED”; and “CONVERGE, CONTRAST, ILLUDE.”

Other topics included the forms of collage and reconstruction, photographic processes, and artist talks. The art community enjoyed these, and we plan on continuing CONVOS in the new location as a way to engage the art world and those who may not be familiar with art, how to look at it, and the value of investing in original pieces.

Aaron: What are some of the biggest challenges you face as an artist and gallery owner?

Christina: There’s a financial gamble in operating a gallery. It’s tough for galleries to survive and we’re trying a different model. There are very few, if any, commercial representational galleries in this area. At the previous COMMA, we invited artists to show or enter shows for a small fee and commission. The shows lasted about four weeks and then the work was removed with attendance dwindling after the opening receptions. It was not financially viable. Now by having artists contributing monthly and having their art on view for six months, we will have a chance to bring in more art lovers and the general public to view original artwork and consider purchasing it.

Another challenge is inducing the general public to engage with art. Mia, Deborah and I have some plans to achieve this.

“Coming from Ann Arbor, MI, an extremely art-centric city, there was a lot of collaboration and events between arts organizations, local businesses, restaurants, and the University of Michigan. I believe these partnerships not only attract new audiences but also make art more accessible and integrated into the community.”

So Brief Our Existence by Jennifer Dowdell (upper left)

Mixed Media: Acrylic and Collage

Aaron: Outside of the realm of visual art, what inspires you? Music, film, literature, nature? Something else?

Christina: All of the above. And the actual creative process excites me!

Mia: Film excites me the most! I took several film classes throughout high school and college and loved seeing the different ways film could be interpreted and explained. I am also an avid video creator, specifically focusing on storytelling through vlogs of my travels.

Aaron: Lastly, I like to leave our readers with something tangible, such as a practice they can try out in real life. Can you offer a creativity exercise or drawing prompt that you like? Very open-ended here—anything that our readers can use today in their notebooks, sketchpads, or even Post-its!

Christina: Pick a painting, look at it, think about why you like it or don’t like it. How does it speak to you? Write down what it says. Where does it take you? Write about that place and what you see there.

Christina H. Paul has been involved with art since college. Always finding time to paint, she worked as a graphic designer and art director, contracting and collaborating with many notable illustrators and artists in the making of picture books and illustrated fiction. As Associate Publisher and Creative Director at Candlewick Press (a company known for its quality books) in Boston, MA, she managed a department of designers and art directors for 20 years. Now living in the Buffalo, NY area, she is pursuing her love of painting and all art!
Mia Arnold is an experienced event manager and arts administrator with a rich background in event planning, marketing and community engagement. Originally from Ann Arbor, MI, she moved to Buffalo, NY in July 2024. Mia is currently the Gallery Operations and Marketing Coordinator at THE COMMA Fine Art Gallery, where she oversees marketing campaigns, social media strategy, and gallery operations. She manages promotional efforts for exhibitions, coordinates media outreach, manages the website, and ensures an engaging public presence. Through her work, she is committed to fostering community engagement and expanding access to the arts.

Subscribe to see more guest posts from WRJ’s amazing contributors / Paid access includes opportunities for editorial feedback and free submissions for upcoming issues.