A painter of some 20 years standing, Stephen Doyle has only recently ceased running his own small business so that he may devote his full professional life to the fine art of painting. Self-defined as a tonal painter, and greatly admiring the works of Max Meldrum and his associates, Stephen is driven equally by his thirst for practical and theoretical art knowledge, and to those ends he embraces the research of pictorial history through the ages.

Well-known for his lively and faithful studies of horses, either darting around the track competing at full gallop, or at rest standing nobly and sedately, he is also gaining a considerable reputation for his discerning portraits, often with an unusual twist, and always with an awareness of the sitter’s psychological individuality. His subject matter spans quite a broad scope to include sea/landscape, interiors and still life. In fact he candidly admits that he is propelled by his desire to paint the “perfect painting”.

While not an impressionist per se, Doyle certainly possesses a sensorial approach to picture making…he is seeking to capture the effect and feeling of light on form, to only include the necessary details required to convey the actuality of the subject and the atmosphere engulfing it, as opposed to being scientifically accurate in a copyist’s manner. Stephen has a wide area of interest in subject matter for his paintings. He particularly enjoys painting portraits, however, over the years he has painted a great variety of subjects, including horses, street/land/seascapes, still life, interiors, etc.

Doyle was invited to become a member of the esteemed Twenty Melbourne Painters Society Inc in 2010.

Doyle is always looking for a challenge and continuing to strive for that perfect painting, he shares his studio space at the City of Kingston Arts Complex with fellow artist, Herman Pekel.