Stephen Whalley Artist Statement
Belfast contemporary artist Stephen Whalley runs Whalley Fine Art from a refurbished former stables block in East Belfast, Northern Ireland.
With a degree in design Stephen founded his own gallery and art business in 2008 and since then crafted a promising painting career with his colourful abstract landscapes.
Stephen’s oil painted landscapes which include everything from the Dark Hedges in Ballymoney made famous by Game of Thrones to the beautiful North Coast or the iconic Harland & Wolff cranes at the famous Belfast shipyard.
Growing up in an inspirational family – Stephen’s father, Jake was a plater in the famous Harland & Wolff shipyard for over 45 years and his grandfather carved out a promising boxing and wrestling career. One of his great Grandfathers was a gifted sign writer in Belfast too, so the family have all different talents in using their hands!
Stephen’s love of painting landscapes sees him working in oil, using lots of different tools to create the correct distribution of colour and texture.
An intuitive painter, Stephen uses a free style to paint washed out, moody hues for the sky’s while choosing knives and metal with which to apply details in oils in a more stylised way.
And his work is equally at home in the stress-free surroundings of a North Down yoga studio to slick, modern offices in the corporate world.
Stephen’s recently got into the world of ‘LIVE’ painting where he paints over the period of an evening at gala dinners and events and then the finished artwork is auctioned off at the end of the evening. Stephen has helped raise over £60,000 for charity in 2022 and can be booked for events and private parties, events/ weddings.
He recently painted in London at a special charity ball in front of HRH The Duchess of Gloucester.
A recent commission for a landscape mural at the Holywood yoga studio forms the backdrop to help the yogis achieve a zen-like state during practice. And the stunning coastline painting has created such a sanctuary at the studio many have asked Stephen to replicate the scene in their homes.
Original commissioned artworks by Stephen are snapped up quickly because he has an eye for the iconic, the nostalgic and paints very often for those who are looking for inspiration.
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