| PAUL HUTCHINSON Often described as "the painter's painter", Paul Hutchinson has steadfastly refused to follow trends in painting. Completely self taught, he has been working full-time as an artist since he was 17, developing the skills and techniques of painting and continually exploring new mediums, most recently reviving the ancient technique of painting in encaustic wax – ground pigments mixed with molten beeswax and resins and applied hot to the canvas. | |
| PAUL HUTCHINSON - C.V. | |
| '58 | Born Middlesbrough. |
| '62 | Family emigrated to Vancouver Island, Canada. |
| '64 | Father gave me sketchbook & watercolour paints and taught me to use watercolours. |
| '70 | Family emigrated back to Britain, living in Diss, Norfolk
and Huddersfield, Yorkshire. Enjoyed painting and drawing at school, not much else, started using acrylics. '70 |
| '74 | Family emigrated to New Plymouth, New Zealand. Enrolled in full-time architectural draughting course at Taranaki Polytechnic. Spent all my free time drawing trees in Pukekura Park. Won a prize in Bernard Aris Painting competition for young artists; used the money to buy oil paints & canvas boards. |
| '75 | Left Polytech. Started painting & drawing incessantly with support of parents. |
| '76 | Joined the Taranaki Society of Arts and exhibited in their
annual exhibitions. Got a part-time job at a take-away shop to help support myself while painting. |
| '77 | Had first exhibition of work at TSA's gallery on Brougham St. Met Michael Smither, who encouraged me & gave me advice. |
| '78 | Started to paint in a "hard-edged realism" style. Won an award in the "Centre Gallery Memorial Painting Competition for Artists 21 Years of Age and Under". |
| '81 | Started painting the "Plastic Animals" series. With other artists formed the Taranaki Artists' Co-operative, TACO, and held the first "Renonsense" art exhibition and mini arts festival. Won the TSB Review at the Govett Brewster Art Gallery. |
| '82 | Learned screenprinting techniques from Bill & Michael Smither. TACO set up screenprinting workshop in old dairy factory on Puniho Road. Won Montana Art Award. |
| '84 | Worked in studios at King Street with Michael Smither and
Tom Mutch. I found this time instructive - seeing other
artists' working methods. Met Dale Copeland. Started to work with collage. |
| '85 | Moved to Puniho to live and work with Dale. |
| '86 | Birth of our daughter Toby. TACO disbanded. Took time off painting to make building alterations to the house and reassess the direction my art was taking. |
| '87 | Commissioned to paint mural on New Plymouth Mobile Library. Won second prize in B.R.L. Art Award. |
| '88 | Painted the first of the "Hand" series. Started using thicker impasto in my painting with white lead. Became interested in the work of Lucien Freud. |
| '89 | Exhibition with Dale Copeland, Roger Morris and Marianne Muggeridge in "A Couple of Artistic Pairs" at the Govett Brewster Art Gallery. |
| '90 | Started working with Chalk Pastel. The painting of Hands started to get bigger and more ambitious. Trying to get something of the soft textures of pastel in the oil painting. I began to build up rich surfaces using thick paint applied with palette knives and then glazing, sanding and scraping. |
| '91 | Part-time tutor in oil painting for Art Start programme. |
| '92 | Commissioned to paint large murals for Taranaki Base Hospital psychiatric ward working with staff and clients. |
| '93 | Continued with the Hand Series. The concept developed to include images of hands holding various objects. I feel this is an important series for me and I don't want to rush it - each painting takes a considerable amount of time and energy; however I do have a number of other areas of interest I wish to pursue. |
| '94/95 | With four other artists toured Christchurch, Nelson and Wellington |
| '97 | Spent two months in Europe looking at art galleries We set up Virtual TART Internet art site for Taranaki artists. Continuing to work in oils and encaustic wax. I am doing more portrait and figure work. I'm also becoming very interested in the South Taranaki landscape with its lahars and other remnants of volcanic activity. |
| 2000-'04 | Continuing to exhibit, including invitation to be part of "The Unbearables" Arts Festival in New York. |
| 2000-'08 | "New Zeal" in Lorne, Australia, exhibitions throughout New Zealand Biennial National Portrait competitions in Wellington |
| 2006 | Winner of Taranaki Review Painting Prize |