Paula Zima

Paula Zima (born 1953) is an American artist. She is known for her sculptures, and paintings, and is celebrated for her artwork of animals. Zima was born in Pasadena, California, and lived in Washington, the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast of California, before settling in New Mexico near Santa Fe.

Early life and education Paula Zima was born in 1953, in Pasadena, California. She also attended Los Llanos School of Arts and Crafts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, The artist commented at the time that "My intention in creating the piece is to honor the two major life forms of the region, before the influx of the European culture, the indigenous Chumash people and the Grizzly Bear." "Tequski' wa suwa" is a Chumash phrase, in the dialect of the people who lived where the mission now is, and translates to "bear and child". Funds for the sculpture were provided by the Stanley P. Von Stein memorial trust, and the Mary Jane Duval memorial trust . The work was surveyed by the Save Outdoor Sculpture! initiative in 1994 and was deemed to be "Well maintained." The castings were later painted by the artist.

Her sculpture Otter Touching Its Tail, located in Santa Cruz, California is work in which "an abstract otter forms a doughnut by touching its tail and hind feet with its head and front feet. There is triangular embossing along the otter's sides that may represent a wave motif." Zima's Meditation Bird is located at Sierra Vista Hospital in San Luis Obispo, California.

Zima has illustrated holiday gift boxes for See's Candies.