Dean Sauls
Contemporary Abstract Painter
Original abstract paintings take shape through intuitive mark-making, layered color, and an ongoing process of revision. Each work invites closer observation, revealing new details over time while leaving room for personal interpretation.
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Lives and Works in Cary, NC
b. 1971, Raleigh, NC
Dean Sauls is a contemporary abstract painter based in Cary, North Carolina, with more than 30 years of creative experience.
Working primarily in acrylic on canvas and paper, Sauls builds his paintings through automatic drawing, washes, stains, opaque passages, scraping, wiping, and abrasion. Marks are added, altered, and sometimes partially removed as each composition develops.
His practice explores the relationship between instinct and control. Rather than working toward a predetermined image, Sauls allows the interaction of color, form, movement, and physical surface to influence the direction of a painting.
Sauls has exhibited and sold his artwork since 2001. His solo exhibitions include Reset at Cary Town Hall in 2023 and Drift at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center in 2025. Two of his paintings are held in the Town of Cary's public art collection, and three original works have been acquired for display at Kanki Japanese Restaurant in Raleigh.
Artist Statement
My paintings usually begin with small, automatic drawings. I work without a fixed outcome in mind, building layers of acrylic paint and responding to what develops.
I’m interested in what happens when instinct and control meet—when a mark changes the direction of a composition, or when removing something reveals an unexpected relationship beneath it.
The process leaves evidence behind. Earlier decisions remain visible through stains, scratches, edges, and fragments of color.
I don't expect everyone to see the same thing in my paintings. I want the work to remain open to interpretation, inviting people to look closely, return to it, and discover something different over time.
I don’t begin a painting with an answer, and I don’t expect it to end with one. I want it to keep revealing something, even after I’ve stopped working on it.
— Dean Sauls
Selected Works
Counterweight No. 02 Acrylic on canvas · 48 × 30 in.
Counterweight No. 06 Acrylic on canvas · 48 × 30 in.
Counterparts No. 02 Acrylic on canvas · 18 × 24 in.
Upcoming Exhibitions
2027 — Margaux’s Restaurant, Raleigh, NC
Two-Person Exhibition with Tricia Sauls
April 27 – May 27
2027 — Solo Exhibition, Town Hall Gallery, Cary, NC
September 2 – October 22
Past Exhibitions
2026 — Original Paintings Exhibition, Eva Perry Library, Apex, NC
2025 — Drift, Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Cary, NC
2023 — Reset, Town Hall Gallery, Cary, NC
2020–Present — Recurring, Margaux's Restaurant, Raleigh, NC
Collections & Placements
Town of Cary 2D Public Art Collection
Ingresso Verde and Ingresso Turchese
Kanki Japanese Restaurant, Raleigh
Three original abstract paintings acquired for display
Exhibition Mentions
Available Paintings & Inquiries
Explore original abstract paintings by Dean Sauls, including selected works from the Counterweight series.
For artwork inquiries, private commissions, or sourcing paintings for a collection or professional project, contact the studio directly.