Stephen King is an oil painter, who paints the New Zealand mountains and coastline like no other, he is adept at capturing the evocative beauty of the New Zealand bush. To view one of his paintings is to be transported into that scene, one can almost feel the sunlight coming though the fronds. To quote former art director, the late James Mack, “Driven by the power of nature he paints an ecstatic response to sunlit forest pongas.”
Stephen recently held an exhibition of paintings at the historic former Greytown library building on Main Street in Greytown.
Stephen grew up in Wellington and worked as a printer and picture framer before training as a teacher. Tramping as a teenager in the Tararua Ranges kindled a desire to capture on canvas, the magnificence of the New Zealand bush and mountains –“painting from a tramper’s view”. At Teacher’s College he further developed his painting skills in the art department.
He and his wife Grace moved to Featherston in 1980 to a very busy life of teaching, tramping and lead roles in theatrical productions. After two years of teaching Stephen decided to devote more time to painting. With two young daughters, he was a househusband, sign writer and house painter. For part of every year, and most of this year, he has been a full time artist.
Over the years Stephen has exhibited in Masterton, Wellington and Featherston. His first major Wellington exhibition explored reflections in the Wairarapa rivers and lakes. Farm and orchard work inspired a desire to capture the beauty of people at work, resulting in his paintings of apple pickers, vineyard workers and shearers. A small black and white photo led to a series of paintings of the diggers and horsemen who worked to keep the opening to Lake Ferry open in the early 1900s.
In more recent years Stephen has set out to capture the dramatic views seen when fishing on the South Wairarapa coast. He has also done some stunning pictures, in oil and pastel, of magnolias and iris flowers. He continues to explore the effects of light.
