Stephen Hutchings’ work is based in drawing, an interest he has had since childhood. Hutchings' academic background includes studies in biology, literature and fine art, graduating with a degree in Art History. His current work combines drawing with digital photography and computer manipulation to create images that have a heightened sense of reality. On a technical level, his paintings combine 19th Century photographic techniques with charcoal drawing directly on the canvas. Colour is applied through the application of layers of oil glazes, or tints; each canvas may receive up to ten such layers. The final result is a presentation of the unique refinement and energetic qualities that only a drawing can provide.
Hutchings art has been featured in a number of museum exhibitions over the span of his career. Fury 2012 features 8 x 8 ft. paintings depicting storms and cyclones for the Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa Ontario. In 2010, The Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta mounted a major exhibition of Hutchings work: Landscapes for the End of Time, featuring a number of 18 ft. canvases which is currently traveling across Canada. A hard covered book was published to accompany the show and is available through the Jennifer Kostuik Gallery.
