STEPHEN ALLWOOD

Stephen Allwood is a New Zealand contemporary painter whose work is distinguished by its expressive brushwork, strong sense of atmosphere and enduring fascination with the physical possibilities of paint. Born in 1959, Allwood studied at the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Over the course of his career, he has developed a distinctive painterly language that moves between close observation and abstraction.

Working from photographs and the world immediately around him, Allwood paints subjects drawn from everyday life: landscapes, weather, people, interiors and the objects of his environment. Photography often provides a starting point, allowing him to isolate particular moments, relationships and compositions before translating them into paint.

Central to Allwood's practice is the tension between image and surface. Viewed from a distance, his paintings resolve into recognisable scenes; up close, they reveal energetic brushwork, rich surfaces and the physical act of painting itself. He is known for working with large brushes and embracing the movement, speed and “lusciousness” of paint, allowing individual marks to remain visible while building a convincing sense of form, space and atmosphere.

Allwood has exhibited extensively throughout New Zealand, and his work is represented in significant public and private collections. His paintings continue to evolve while retaining a deep interest in observation, scale and the transformative potential of paint.