Stephen Allwood
Born in Fiji in 1959, Stephen Allwood grew up in Masterton, before going to Canterbury for his Fine Arts degree at Ilam. He took a year off to paint the Greek Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration dome to floor in icons. After wandering the world he returned home to New Zealand and now lives and paints outside Martinborough with his partner Jo Crabb. Stephen finds inspiration from the world around him, particularly in his own hamlet – the natural and the human-influenced landscape, the animals, the forces such as weather and time.
He works mostly in oils on canvas, and his style has been described as Bacon meets Fragonard – Stephen though, describes his influences as day-to-day, what’s in front of him, looking for the essential reality of his subjects. But his paintings are as much about the joy of painting as about the subject; this dashing, painterly style can often take the works in unexpected directions.
He has exhibited regularly at Bowen Galleries in Wellington since 1991.
Solo Exhibitions
- New Animal Paintings, 2023
- Lifespan, new flower paintings, 2021
- The Woolshed, 2020
- Ephemera, 2018
- Sheep and beef, 2017
- Edible, 2015
- Animal portraits, 2014
- Sheep portraits and other paintings, 2013
- Insecta, 2012
- Domestica, 2011
- Flock, 2009
- Wood landscapes, 2007
Group Exhibitions
Stephen Allwood, Roses, 2024, oil on canvas, 1200 x 900 mm $5800
Stephen Allwood, Still life with bird's nest, crystal bowl and baubles 2023, oil on canvas, 1100 x 900 mm $5800
Stephen Allwood, Shedding 2, 2022, oil on canvas, 915 x 1520 mm $8500
Stephen Allwood, Jude 2023, oil on linen, 900 x 900 mm $6800
Stephen Allwood, A.D. after Zubaren, 2022, 1015 x 1220 mm $8500