Paula Barragán completed her pre-university studies at Atelier de Sèvres, Paris, from 1981 to 1982. She holds a BFA in Visual Communication from Pratt Institute, New York, obtained in 1986. She took printmaking courses at the Parsons School of Design (NY) and painting courses at the San Francisco Art Institute (CA) in 1989.

She maintains her studio in Quito, where she designs logos, posters, book covers, and hand-woven rugs, and where she develops her most important work in the visual arts: painting, printmaking, and drawing. She has exhibited nationally and internationally in 24 solo exhibitions and more than 60 group exhibitions. She is a permanent artist at Davidson Galleries, Seattle (WA), and Gallery 71, New York, USA. She stands out with three solo exhibitions at Multiple Impressions Gallery, NY (1999, 2002, and 2005).

She was selected as the official artist for the XIX edition of the Latin Grammy Award, USA, in 2018.

Among other awards, she has received the following: Oswaldo Guayasamín Decoration from the Metropolitan Municipality of Quito, 2019; First prize El Quiteño, illustration contest of the Municipality of Quito, 2018; First prize Site-Specific project, Equivida, for the creation of a mobile sculpture, Quito, 2018; Best of the Best List, Chicago Public Library, USA, 2005; First prize, Illustration category, National Biennial of Graphic Design, Ecuador, 2004; Nappa Gold Award, for the book Spicy Hot Colors, USA, 2003; First prize, Book category, National Biennial of Graphic Design, Ecuador, 2002; Best of the Best List, Chicago Public Library, USA, 2002; First prize, National Poster Biennial, Ecuador, 1994; First prize Engraving, Salon de Arte Ciudad de Quito, Ecuador, 1994.