Meet Paul Basye, whose home is covered in his students’ art
Through the end of September, we’re celebrating the people who, every day, make life in the Sacramento region meaningful and interesting. Through 12 stories, a collection of short profiles, you’ll “Meet your neighbors.” Read more here.
Paul Basye discovered his artistic style in the middle of the night.
“(Artists) work and work, and they kind of make stuff that doesn’t go anywhere,” he said. “Say what you want, my stuff kind of goes someplace.”
A white, collared Polo shirt with frayed edges where sleeves once hung. Unpretentious denim-washed jeans. Well-loved sandals. The self-assurance emanating from the 63-year-old comes decades after searching for his lane. School was hard. Making it as an artist was harder.
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With his 40th birthday pattering at his door, Basye got his first real break as an art teacher at a nonprofit serving adults with developmental disabilities in Sacramento. He spent a decade helping people make art before eventually pivoting to a similar gig at Short Center Arts in Lemon Hill.
The combination of art and service gave Basye a true sense of identity, even when societal pressures like academic success and romantic relationships proved difficult. “Mom and dad were thrilled, of course. ‘Little Paul got a job finally with his art thing,’” Basye said through a dry laugh.
It dawned on him, only after teaching people with disabilities, that he may be unknowingly navigating one of his own. But he’s not interested in harping over the details of his own uniqueness, not when he’s supporting people facing far more complicated realities through his work. There’s a connection there, and he acknowledges that.
Basye’s love for his students extends into his cozy Midtown Sacramento home, where their artwork is intermeshed with his own. A ceramic cherry pie from a student here, a Japanese-style drawing from another there.
Everyone is creative, he said, including himself, the man who’s drawn “funny, weird pictures” his entire life.
