On the up and up

Renowned mural artist Paul Bradley, better known as Pauly B, has just unveiled his largest and most ambitious project to date – two striking murals that have transformed a once-unremarkable commercial building in Takapuna, Auckland, into a bold artistic statement. Known for his large-scale works that blend contemporary street art with intricate storytelling, this milestone project serves as a prime example of how Paul pushes the boundaries of urban art, turning everyday architecture into a canvas for creativity.

Over the past decade, Paul has completed more than 50 murals – and over the last three years, it’s been his full-time focus. With this project, Paul was tasked with creating complementary murals that would transform a nondescript commercial office building inside and out to characterise WOTSO’s Takapuna FlexSpace, breathing new life into the popular Auckland neighbourhood’s evolving cityscape.

Since 2014, WOTSO has been offering coworking, hotdesking and meeting room rentals in cities throughout New Zealand and Australia. When the company decided to set up a new Takapuna location in Karaka House, the property needed to be fully revitalised to fit with this business model. After a full renovation, what was previously a relatively ordinary fixture on Huron Street has been completely revitalised – but it’s Paul’s exuberant murals that have made it something artfully unique. On the exterior, his impactful and dynamic artworks span the height and width of the structure. Inside, they snake their way up three floors of the interior staircase.

Despite having so much experience under his belt, Paul found the sheer scale of the murals intimidating. “I was excited and nervous going into it,” he recalls. “The exterior mural covered a huge area, but access was also tricky and required using two huge lifts within a busy urban environment. I planned as much as I possibly could to make life easier on site and keep things running smoothly and safely. But as soon as I started painting, my nervousness evaporated straight away. I often think about the saying, ‘a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step’ – only with murals, it’s a single brushstroke. Once that brushstroke happens, I feel very present and calm, and that is definitely my happy place.”

Paul says the project demanded careful consideration to ensure there would be visual coherence as the design was interrupted by numerous windows and had to be applied over a variety of textures across the exterior façade. The resulting design narrative includes ethereal leaf motifs strategically positioned to create a sense of movement and continuity, seamlessly bridging those architectural interruptions. As a complement, bold cloud-like motifs and drifting circles juxtapose their geometry against the mural’s flowing, surreal and dreamlike elements. To bring depth to his design, Paul used more than 20 Resene paint colours carefully selected from six colour families – green, blue, yellow, pink, purple and orange. Each hue plays a part in contributing to the cohesive yet dynamic visual composition, striking a balance between harmony and contrast.

In total, the exterior mural took Paul and his painting assistant, Craig McClure, a combined total of 200 hours over the course of 10 days to cover a jaw-dropping area of approximately 445m². Despite being smaller in scale, the interior stairwell mural was still no small feat. Paul was assisted by his daughter, Tosca, with each of them putting in 60-70 hours of painting. After nearly 140 hours of work, the staircase has become the standout feature of the office building’s interior – one that leaves a memorable impression among both workers and visitors.

“I loved painting the staircase because, for many people, this is the first impression they have of the interior when they enter at street level or from the carpark. People have often told me that they feel a strong connection to my murals once the artwork has become part of their everyday lives. I love that these relationships to the art continue long after I have finished painting. I like to think that these murals could be both calming and energising at the same time – like a mini holiday,” says Paul.

“Painting an image over three levels also gave me the opportunity to create an immersive journey through a three-dimensional, spiralling space. Often, murals sit on one flat surface, so this was a unique and fun challenge. For some reason, staircases are often spaces that don’t get much love; they get treated like they’re not really part of the building. But they’re often heavily used spaces and, in this case, it’s like the spine of the building,” he adds.

Thematically, the journey from the ground floor to the top floor transitions from the earthly and aquatic realms up through the clouds to more ethereal imagery, culminating in a depiction of flowers and a dreamy visage. “This narrative emphasises the importance of dreaming and envisioning within business. The stairwell spaces immerse the observer. Unlike a standard single-wall mural, they offer varied perspectives, with different combinations of colours and imagery depending on one’s vantage point. In more enclosed areas, the designs are abstract, serene and light to prevent overwhelming the viewer. Conversely, in the open expanse of the top landing, the designs embrace figurative, dynamic and playful qualities,” Paul explains.

After applying a basecoat of Eco Choice approved Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen in Resene White, Paul used more than 20 different Resene colours to create the staircase mural design through a tetradic palette of purples, reds, oranges, greens and blues. By using variegated tones from each colour group, the design feels fluid and cohesive while touches of Resene FX Metallic Gold paint infuse it with surprise and wonder – elevating the space from a traditional office aesthetic to something inspiring, creative and contemporary.

“It took a lot of measuring and planning to conceptualise what surfaces would be seen alongside each other and how the whole artwork would fit together,” says Paul. “Another interesting challenge is that the top landing features a cut-out relief of a tree across three of the walls. The artwork had to be designed around and painted over that feature, giving it an added textural element.”

The striking natural surroundings which characterised Paul’s upbringing in Titirangi have significantly influenced his artistic style. “Growing up, I was a chronic daydreamer and one of those kids who was always drawing, painting or making something with my hands. I used to get in trouble for drawing all through my school exercise books, so it seems inevitable that I became an artist. I originally trained as a graphic designer as it seemed like a safer career choice than being an artist. I worked as a designer for a time but kept making art in the evenings and on weekends, and after a while, it became clear that I needed to find a way to spend more time making art, so I quit design. In saying that, I think I learned a lot from my experience working as a designer that has impacted my art making such as composition and colour as well as how to work with clients and conceptualise my ideas. I’ve also worked as an illustrator, which in turn brings a sense of storytelling to my work,” he explains.

His style is also reflective of his lived experiences. “I’m a big believer that a creative career must be part of a bigger creative life. I spend a lot of time producing my art, but it’s equally important to be experiencing and absorbing things from the world within and around me. I draw a lot of inspiration from being in beautiful places, music, conversations, reading, travelling and other artists’ work. But I’ve also been practicing meditation for more than 20 years, which has really helped me to slow down, notice things and stay curious.”

During his planning stages, Paul begins his designs by drawing them out first with pencil on paper before refining them on his tablet and selecting his Resene colour palette. “I often spend a long time choosing colours,” he says. “I use Resene swatches to find colours that appear similar to what I see on my iPad. That way, I am checking actual swatches of real paint next to one another to see how they work together and affect one another. Once I pull a group of swatches together, my process becomes more intuitive in terms of how they feel as a palette rather than worrying too much about formal colour theory or anything too intellectual. A mural’s palette should feel harmonious but there should also be a little tension. I think of it like creating music. If there’s too much harmony in a song, it can end up a bit too sweet and boring. But if there’s too much tension and disruption, then the song becomes too challenging for most people to access and enjoy. The mix needs to be just right.”

Paul says he discovered Resene when he was studying graphic design at Unitec. “As a broke student, Resene testpots were more economical than fancy art paints so I could be less precious when it came to making larger paintings, but I was ultimately really pleased with the quality as well. When I started painting murals, Resene was the obvious choice. Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen is the go-to paint for many mural artists. The colour range is great and the pigments are nice and strong with good opacity, which means fewer coats and a highquality finish that lasts a long time. Resene has also been an amazing supporter of street art festivals across New Zealand and Australia, which is another good reason for me to use their products,” he adds.

With each project he completes, Paul continues to refine his skills and always learns something new in the process. “The main thing I learned from this project was to make sure I look after myself. This means things like stretching, resting and booking good accommodation for out-of-town jobs. Mural artists generally tend to go hard, especially if you’re outside and it’s not raining. But for me, these big jobs are best treated like a marathon rather than a sprint.”

Paul is especially pleased with the effect the WOTSO murals have had on the building’s users and its surroundings. “It lifts the whole street and has created a landmark,” he says. “People love colour, but for some reason, it’s absent from a lot of our street spaces. When I was painting the exterior, a lot of people made the point of coming to let me know how much they appreciate it. A guy in the neighbouring building was documenting a time lapse of the progress from his office window because he was so excited about what was happening. My murals seem to have a very humanising effect on an urban environment, and they help foster a sense of belonging and pride.”

› To see more of Pauly B’s extensive and inspiring portfolio, check out his website at www.paulyb.co.nz.

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