Marty Welch’s portrait of Wanaka identity Paul Tamati sporting a massive black eye may not have won an award but it has been raising eyebrows.

Marty’s oil on canvas, Paul, was a finalist in the Adam Portraiture Award (won this year by Sacha Lee of Wellington) and is now being exhibited at the New Zealand National Portrait Gallery in Auckland.

The sad image sparks concern in those who know Paul, who is well known in the community as a knowledgeable guide in the world of interior decorating, and a volunteer and entertainer.

The portrait is also confronting, Marty said.

“At the awards, a lot of people were asking “Who is this hard out fella?’’ I said, “It’s just Paul.’’ But they all went on their own little journey and judgment and all got it wrong. It is not their prejudices so much as their misconceptions.’’

So how did Paul get that black eye?

“It wasn’t anything terrible at all,’’ Paul giggled on the phone to the Wanaka App. “You are the first to ask. Everyone else is looking sideways, going ‘hmmm’.’’

“It happened on a Saturday morning. I was cleaning a storage shed on my property. Robyn, my wife, had gone away for the weekend. I wanted to impress her and she’d been harping on to get it done . . . It was such a dumb thing.”

Paul put two ten litre paint tins together and stood on them. He wiggled, began falling, toppled and hit a shelf in front of him at hip height.

“The moral of the story is to use the appropriate steps or ladders,’’ he said.

Soon after, the phone rang: It was Marty asking to come round and take some photographs so he could begin working on his December exhibition of Wanaka locals, called “Everyone Deserves A Portrait’’.

Marty Welch won the 2012 Adam Portraiture Award with his self portrait, 3 Nights, A Mirror and Loads of Coffee. PHOTO: Stephen Martyn Welch

Marty had known Paul for a while and liked his tattoos, so had chosen him as one of his subjects. Marty recalled Paul’s panicked attempt to put him off.

“He said, “Oh bro, you can’t come. I’ve got a black eye.’’ I said, “I’ll be there in five.’’ I bowled in there and took charge. It was a beaut, weeping and stuff ... And Paul was wearing a red checked Swanndri shirt, that you can just see in the painting. It is sort of Mongrel Mobbish ... As soon as I did the initial drawings, I knew the painting would work,’’ Marty said.

“Marty said, “You can smile any time you like’’. I said, “I want to make it sad so people feel sorry for me.’’ He said, “You can do anything you like.’’ My good eye was watering up at the time and Marty also wanted that look,’’ Paul said.

Meanwhile, Marty had enough photographs for two portraits, one for “Everyone Deserves a Portrait’’, and the other for the Adam Portraiture Awards. He took about two or three weeks to finish both paintings. 

After “Everyone Deserves a Portrait’’ closed in Wanaka, Marty gifted the paintings to his sitters. However, Paul (with a black eye) may not be back in Wanaka for a while: If chosen to go on a national tour with other paintings from the award, the painting of Paul could be away for about 18 months.

Paul said he was excited and proud for Marty that the painting was nominated as a finalist.

Marty said he got a lot of praise and feedback at the award ceremony last week. “It didn’t finish anywhere but when there’s other artists coming up and saying it’s good, that matters,’’ he said.

Marty has entered the Adam Portraiture Award before and won in 2012 with a self-portrait. You can find Marty’s paintings in the Wanaka Fine Art Gallery and more on his website and Instagram pages.