KEY POINTS:
Growing up as the son of "wildman" painter Philip Clairmont, Orlando Clairmont thought he'd heard almost every tale about the 1970s art scene.
But during a four-year project to find out about the unconventional life of his father, the younger Clairmont uncovered more than he expected.
"I found out some really shocking things that probably other people in my family don't know," said Clairmont, 28.
His father, described by the late painter Colin McCahon as "one of the best, one of the very best", took his own life in 1984 when his son was 4.
Clairmont told the Weekend Herald that apart from flashes, he couldn't remember his dad.
"My whole life was just rumour and people saying anecdotes."
Four years ago, he embarked on a journey to piece together the artist's life in a way no one else could.
The documentary, dubbed Clairmont on Clairmont, will screen on TV One tomorrow night.
Clairmont uncovered film footage from 1979 showing him as a 7-day-old baby in the arms of his dad and mother, Rachel Power. He tracked down audio recordings that allowed a "conversation across time" with his father.
Letters showed Philip Clairmont had gone on a similar journey himself to find his estranged father.
The film-maker travelled as far as Invercargill to conduct 70 interviews, many with those who were a part of the Christchurch art scene 30 years ago. During the experience, Clairmont met half-sister Melissa and discovered the family name was not as it first seemed.
"Finding out that my name, my family name Clairmont - that wasn't even really their real name," said Clairmont. "My grandmother [Thelma Clairmont] had made that name up."
Thelma, who was interviewed on camera before she died two years ago, chose the name after she left husband Rex Haines when Philip was 2.
The documentary was a change in direction for Clairmont, who was not previously interested in finding out about his father's past.
"Since his death until about four or five years ago, I didn't want to know anything," he said.
But when some of his father's contemporaries passed away, he decided it was now or never if he ever wanted to know.
"One of the themes that came through was becoming famous really young. I hadn't realised he was so famous so quickly."
Clairmont had seen works bought by major galleries in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch but hadn't realised some dated from when his father was just 22.
"It was a bit of a story of Icarus flying too high," said Clairmont,who lives with his mother in theMt Eden house where much ofthe documentary is set.
"Dad very much was one of those characters who pushed the limit in everything he did and got a reputation for doing that."
He said the documentary aimed to give an insight into his father's lifeand tended more to raise questions than give answers.
"The more I found out, the more specific the questions became. Initially I wanted to know what he was like as a person and what people thought of his art. I did ask everyone why they thought he committed suicide because that's something I never understood.
"That question doesn't get dealt with in the documentary because there wasn't time ... if there's a longer version later on, then that will answer all those questions as well."
