Talking With Painters

It was the 80s. Paul Newton had finished a science degree and was a singer in a band. He sensed, though, that this was not meant to be his life's work. 'I'm a bit of a perfectionist and unless I can do something really well I find it frustrating to do it at all'. So he decided to change course and he put that perfectionism to good use; he is now one of Australia’s most highly skilled and accomplished portrait painters. If you are interested in the Archibald prize,  you no doubt will have seen a Paul Newton portrait. He’s been a finalist 15 times, a People's Choice winner twice and Packing Room winner twice. But those portraits are just the tip of the iceberg. He has been painting the portraits of notable people for over 30 years, spanning the arts, business, law, sport, the church, the military and more. From Hugh Jackman to  Kylie Minogue, from former prime minister Bob Hawke to former governor general Sir William Deane, from David Gonski to Frank Lowy, Roy and HG to David Campese, Maggie Tabberer and e