Paul Landry was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of a doctor and the grandson of two sea captains, one Scottish, the other, French. As a young boy, he developed an interest in art.

As he grew older, it was inevitable that he would work with fishermen on the Nova Scotia banks, pulling up nets and traps with them. Never far away were his sketchpad and camera. "I believe you have to know your subject to paint it well," he says. "I grew up with many of the characters who now appear in my paintings. Spending time on the sea allowed me to know its many moods."

There was more than art in Paul’s youth. His father was a talented athlete, having participated in the British Empire Games, and Paul inherited some of that talent. He played semi-pro football, hockey and baseball, and also coached the latter two. His early twenties found him racing sports cars.

By age 17, Paul had gained apprenticeship status as a photoengraver. Later he attended Nova Scotia College of Art, and in 1957 he went to New York City, where he attended the Art Students League. Two years later, he took a brief sabbatical in Nova Scotia to paint the sea and the people who make their living from it. From there he went to the Midwest, where he worked as a photo-engraver and pursued an interest in commercial art.

Paul then moved to Connecticut, which he calls home today. After teaching at Famous Artists Schools in Westport, Paul decided to paint on a full-time basis. A versatile artist, he works in a wide variety of mediums, including oil wash and etchings. He paints to classical music, explaining, "It’s a moodsetter that creates the right atmosphere for me," Although he paints a variety of subjects, his primary interest is the marine area, Nova Scotia, circa 1920. Landry is also author of the book, "On Drawing and Painting."