Born in Sydney, Stan’s passion for painting maritime scenes stems from a lifelong interest in shipping. The 1960s and early 1970s were years of fondly remembered countless ship visits after school in the port of Sydney, full of shipping activities with vessels belonging to numerous companies and countries of registry.
From a very early age Stan developed a love of drawing and painting but it was his love of ships that inspired him to paint maritime subjects. Although being self taught to a degree, Stan’s enrolment in art classes at the Ross Davis painting studio in Sydney for a few years developed his understanding of the use of colour in painting.
Over the years Stan has had the opportunity to take sea voyages ranging from the Norwegian Fjords to the East Coast of America, Canada, Alaska, Bermuda, Asia and the Pacific – all providing further inspiration for painting. These aspects, a keen observation of ship design and careful research into actual shipping events, guide Stan in faithfully executing his painting of ships.
Painting predominantly in oils, Stan aims to portray any ship in the context of an expressive sea and sky, believing that the whole painting ought to capture a mood and to convey a story. Indeed, he aims to interpret the classical maritime art style of yesteryear in a manner that conveys the history and spirit of shipping as well as the present day maritime story. Stan paints all manner of vessels including current cruise ships that provide interesting opportunities to depict the continual innovations in naval architecture.
Several of Stan’s paintings have been used to illustrate covers for books about Australian and New Zealand shipping, written by the well known maritime historian Peter Plowman. Articles about Stan’s paintings have also been featured in several cruise magazines. His paintings are included in private collections in Australia and the United Kingdom, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line International, and have been displayed on a long term basis at the Australian National Maritime Museum, as well as the Newcastle Maritime Centre, NSW.
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