De Paolis's work spans painting, drawing, installation and filmed performance. Working in mixed media, she paints on a variety of surfaces: paper, canvas, cardboard, wood and clothing.

Traditional childhood games are reimagined in filmed performance, using volunteers as participants.

The work is a response to research into historical land ownership in England, probing the popular idea of the English landscape while questioning her own relationship with its seductive presentation in period drama, the national collection of landscape art, marketing and political campaigning.