In 1971, Paula Artac, received her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts and Business from California State University, Northridge. She has pursued a career for over 25 years as a professional artist, with her own business, Water Art by Paula Artac. Her paintings have won local and national recognition. An award-winning watercolor was published in Best of Watercolor II, Rockport Publishers, 1997. From 1981 to 1986, Paula was a credentialed adult education art instructor with Fremont Unified School District Adult School.  From 1989 to 2002, she was employed as an adult education art instructor/group facilitator at the Adobe Art Center in Castro Valley, California. For seven years, Paula was a guest instructor with the California National Park System and The Art Activity Center in Yosemite National Park. She has installed many art exhibits for her personal artwork and students’ work. Her artwork hangs in international, national and local collections.

 In 1996, Paula entered the Art Therapy Master’s Program at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California. During her course of studies, she worked with at-risk children, severely emotionally disturbed adolescents, and learning/communication challenged adolescents. Upon receiving her Master’s Degree in Psychology in Marital and Family Therapy/Art Therapy, she implemented her "Colors of Life (R)" program at the Adobe Art Center in Castro Valley, CA. Her "Art To Heal" group has been a successful addition to adult wellness support programs at The Wellness Community in Walnut Creek, and The Center for Well Being in Fremont, CA. Through the integration of multi-disciplinary artistic techniques, creative expression, joy and wellness into her programs and retreats, participants are encouraged to find deeper spiritual meaning in their lives. Paula has completed her doctoral degree in spirituality, creativity and wellness in the Doctor of Ministry program at Wisdom University in Oakland, California. In her dissertation, Fluid Energy Imagery: An Art Therapy Modality Beyond Mainstream Psychology, she has researched and developed a spirituality based art and wellness/art therapy modality that applies the healing benefits of creativity and non-verbal creative expression as a spiritual life practice. She is a past faculty member of the San Francisco Episcopal Diocese Health and Healing Ministries Commission. 

Paula facilitates creativity and wellness retreats for a variety of populations and interests, as well as creative wellness groups in Arizona and California. She has presented numerous experiential workshops and papers at the regional and national American Art Therapy Association conferences. At the Embracing the Heart of Nature conference at Mercy Center in Burlingame, California, Paula facilitated art experientials emphasizing the ancient wisdom teachings of Eastern and Western spirituality and creativity that can be applied to our growing concern for environmental preservation. She has worked at Art Awakenings in Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, and Phoenix Center for the Arts as an art therapist in their High School Special Education program that nurtures creative expression in adolescents with special needs. Recently, Paula introduced an expressive art therapy focus to education as an elementary school art therapist.  She is employed as an art instructor at the Scottsdale Civic Center Senior Center as well as the Shemer Art Center and Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.  As a member of the doctoral faculty at Wisdom University in Oakland, California, in 2004, Paula presented a seminar and art as meditation course in 2005, which explored the implementation of new concepts of creativity into the business world, beyond the pathological/diagnostic clinical paradigm.  Her course, Working Grace: The Profit of Creativity In Business, and, Working Grace: Coloring Outside The Lines/Creating The Artist In Business art as meditation class employ fine art techniques, critical thinking/problem solving and art therapy/expressive arts therapy techniques applied to adult life issues and work situations.  At the invitation of San Diego University for Integrative Studies, Paula is developing and instructing online/distance Master’s and Doctoral courses in Expressive Arts Therapy, as well as sitting on dissertation committees for SDUIS doctoral candidates.  As an adjunct faculty, Paula teaches undergraduate psychology courses and graduate expressive arts therapy courses at Ottawa University in Tempe and Phoenix, Arizona.  

Paula recently completed one year as "Artist In Residence" for the First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto, providing original large-scale liturgical art for their worship sanctuary for the year 2002/03.  Her article, "Mind/Body/Spirit -- Today’s Concept of Wellness Is Flowing with Creativity," recently was published in the Summer, 2004, issue of the CancerFit e-newsletter.  Her two year experience working with cancer patients at the Cancer Center at Verde Valley Medical Center in Sedona, Arizona, has added to her knowledge base of applications of art therapy techniques.  Her essay, “In Search Of The Soul of Image: A Cosmological Theory for Expressive Arts Therapy,” has just been submitted for publication consideration.  She is a past member of the Board of Trustees for the Arizona Business and Professional Women’s Association Foundation and the Membership Chair for Northwest Valley Business and Professional Women’s Association. 

 As her career continues to develop, Paula now works as the expressive arts therapist at Sundance, an holistic drug and alcohol rehabilitation residence in Scottsdale, Arizona,  initiating the Personal Symbol Development © program, an expressive arts therapy program specifically designed for a substance abuse population.  Paula continues to develop Brigid’s Garden ®, a virtual place of creative wisdom and grace, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, to become an international travel program in which she facilitates adult creativity and wellness experiences.  Paula has served as an elected Director on the Board of Directors, actively assisting in the development of the Arizona Chapter of the American Art Therapy Association, AZATA.