Chad McLaren

Chad McLaren is a full-time freelance artist working primarily in soft pastel and charcoal, creating bold, emotionally driven pieces that lean into high contrast – light and dark, beauty and chaos, softness and edge. His work ranges from vibrant, expressive color pieces to raw, moody charcoal drawings, often centered around the human figure and the weight of unspoken emotion, but there are not many subjects that he shies away from.

It is not uncommon to find him working outside the PAPA Gallery when the weather is nice, demonstrating his love of the medium to passersby. 

Primarily self-taught yet guided by his father’s expertise in pigments and technique, Chad emphasizes emotion, resilience in imperfection, and the joy of creating live for audiences in downtown Paducah or online. His work has been exhibited locally at the PAPA Gallery, Murray and Mayfield Art Guilds, and other regional venues, including exhibits at the Janice Mason Art Museum and the Paris Academy for the Arts.

“Art is more than the pictures we create.” – Chad McLaren

You can find more of Chad’s work on his website – happyaccidentgallery.com – and Etsy shop – happyaccidentsbychad.etsy.com