Paul
Madonna

Paul Madonna is an award-winning artist and best-selling author whose unique blend of drawing and storytelling has been heralded as an “all new art form.”

Paul is the creator of the series All Over Coffee, which ran in the San Francisco Chronicle for twelve years, and the author of seven books, including the Emit Hopper Mystery Series. His second book, Everything Is Its Own Reward, won the 2011 NCBA Award for Best Book, and his sixth, You Know Exactly, was a finalist for the 2022 Golden Poppy Book Awards. His latest book, The Commissions, a riveting mystery set between San Francisco and Amsterdam, was released in hardback in September 2023.

Paul’s work ranges from novels to cartoons to large-scale public murals and can be found internationally in print as well as in galleries and museums, including the Oakland Museum of California, the William Blake Association in France, and the San Francisco International Airport.

Paul was a founding editor for therumpus.net, has taught drawing at the University of San Francisco, and frequently lectures on creative practice. He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and was the first (ever!) Art Intern at MAD magazine.

Paul Madonna is an award-winning artist and writer who combines drawing and fiction in a wide range of forms, from murals to novels.

Paul is the author of seven books, All Over Coffee (2007), Everything Is Its Own Reward (2011), On to the Next Dream (2017), Close Enough for the Angels (2017), Come to Light (2020), You Know Exactly (2022), and The Commissions (2023).

Paul is the creator of three series, All Over Coffee, Small Potatoes, and Quotable City, and the co-creator of the series Spirits of the City with writer Gary Kamiya, featured in the Nob Hill Gazette and collected in the best-selling book Spirits of San Francisco (2020).

Paul’s drawings and stories have been published in books, newspapers, magazines, and literary journals, by notable publishers such as City Lights Books, Bloomsbury, Graphic Arts, West Margin Press, McSweeney’s, ZYZZYVA, Alta, the South China Morning Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Examiner, and the Nob Hill Gazette.

Paul’s original drawings are exhibited internationally in galleries and museums, and have been included in the collections of institutions such as the Oakland Museum of California, the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum, and the William Blake Association in France.

Paul has worked with the San Francisco Arts Commission to produce several public art projects, including the Art on Market Street series and a 40-foot permanent glass installation for the San Francisco International Airport.

In addition to public art, Paul has produced a number of unique large-scale murals for private and professional commissions, including a 65-foot installation for Starbucks, a full-wall installation for Google, and several 40-foot site-specific murals for the restaurant chain Tacolicious.

Paul has worked with a number of corporate clients including Google, Starbucks, Tacolicious, Goorin Brothers, and Anchor Steam Brewery.

Paul holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University, and was the first (ever!) Art Intern at MAD magazine. He was a founding editor for therumpus.net, has taught drawing at the University of San Francisco, and lectures on creative practice at universities, libraries, and private organizations, including Stanford, Academy of Art, and California College of the Arts.

Paul’s second book, Everything Is Its Own Reward, won the 2011 NCBA Award for Best Book, and his sixth book, You Know Exactly, was a finalist for the 2022 Golden Poppy Book Awards.

Paul is available for private commissions as well as speaking engagements and presentations.