Guts n’Gore

At just 9 years old Paul McLachlan’s eyes were forever opened to the potential of art by the masterpieces on display at the Guggenheim exhibition in Dunedin. The profound impact this experience had on him would create a lifelong compulsion to pursue his career as an artist.

He has since dedicated years to honing both his passion and his craft at some of the country’s best educational institutions.

Now an established artist, Paul boasts an extensive array of both international and domestic awards, residencies and exhibition appearances. Inspired heavily by his immersion in literature, Paul describes his style as “precise, intensive and mythic. It reflects a deep engagement with imaginative subject matter and a meticulous approach to detail.” This influence permeates throughout much of his work and in particular ‘Encounter (2022)’, a current favourite of McLachlan’s, reminiscent of the ‘Leda and the Swan’ myth.

What one might describe as Paul’s ‘signature style’ uses contrasting colours of thick paint layered on top of one another. Once evenly applied they are partially stripped back using a digital engraving process, revealing a beautiful gradient of hues in the layers below. This technique along with Paul’s meticulous drawings combine to create pieces that, like ‘Leda and the Swan’, are “rich in engraved details and intersecting lines.”

Paul chooses to use Resene paints thanks to a great relationship with his local Resene ColorShop in Gore. “That, and the consistent quality of paint of course.” In particular he loves Resene’s Galliano yellow, “a potent, almost ginger-like yellow that truly sings.” Often working with large volumes of paint at a time, he reveals “the key is to keep things orderly, transferring just what I need into Resene’s resealable pots for ease of use.” Despite his traditional influence Paul’s craft is constantly evolving, particularly in the last few years. Thanks to his background in printmaking Paul has found it natural to integrate modern technology and robotics into his processes. “Moving to Mataura for a better studio space allowed me to completely immerse myself in my work, leading to significant experimentation and development.” Through his move Paul has also been able to uncover his newest source of inspiration in the form of the nearby Mataura Falls, or Te Au Nui. “It’s a place that speaks to the interplay between human-induced changes in the land and how these changes, in turn, influence us.”