Paula began painting in 1999 when she took a watercolor class in Venice, Italy, with George Woollard. She has studied with Woollard, Darius Homay, Roger Whitlock, Alan Leitner and Timothy Ojile. She works mainly in acrylic, textiles and mixed media. Her work has been featured in numerous shows in Honolulu and South Korea. She is represented by Fine Art Associates at the Art Loft.

In addition, Rath is a former fashion designer. She currently creates wearable art for gallery shows.

Her inspiration is frequently derived from her travels to countries such as Myanmar, Turkey, Greece and Laos.

My interest in making art began as a teenager doing oil paintings of the enchanting landscapes in my home state, New Mexico. During my career as an orthopedic surgeon, artistic endeavors were limited to sketching the details of surgical procedures for my patients.

I have studied multiple art forms, including watercolor and oil painting and various print media, including etching, lithography and woodcuts at the Academy Art Center at Linekona in classes by Roger Whitlock, George Woollard and Mark Norseth. I have attended three six week atelier courses at WWCC directed by Snowden Hodges.

My watercolor paintings have been exhibited in multiple juried exhibits of the Hawaii Watercolor Society. Watercolors, oils, and drawings have been exhibited at the Academy Art Center at Linekona, Iolani Gallery at Windward Community College and the Louis Pohl Gallery.