He has works in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, and is a portrait artist for Parliament House, Canberra. He has painted Prime Ministers and Governor General Sir William Deane AC, KBE. Other portraits by Newton have been Archibald Prize finalists including paintings of
model Kate Fischer in 1997,
model Maggie Tabberer AM in 1999,[1] and
rugby player David Campese AM in 2000 (which was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery).[4] He has also won portrait competitions in Philadelphia and the Portrait Society of America's 2003 International Portrait Competition in Washington DC.
In 2003, an image painted on Ian Thorpe's jeans by Paul Newton was used as a pin for the Jeans for Genes Day. The jeans were later auctioned by the charity for $26,000.[8]
Newton was commissioned to paint a depiction of the Madonna and Child Our Lady of the Southern Cross
for World Youth Day 2008, which now hangs permanently in St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney.