Stan Stefaniak

Stan was born in Sydney in 1954 and now resides in Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains. Stan’s passion for painting maritime scenes stems from a lifelong interest in shipping. In the 1960s and early 1970s he remembers visiting the port of Sydney after school and observing shipping activities with vessels belonging to numerous companies and countries of registry.

From a very early age Stan developed a love of drawing and painting but it was his love of ships that inspired him to paint maritime subjects. Stan’s enrolment in art classes at the Ross Davis painting studio in Sydney for a few years developed his understanding of the use of colour in painting.

Over the years Stan has had the opportunity to take sea voyages all over the world – all providing further inspiration for painting. These aspects, a keen observation of ship design and careful research into actual shipping events, guide Stan in faithfully executing his painting of ships.

Stan paints mainly in oils and paints all manner of vessels including current cruise ships that provide opportunities to depict the continual innovations in naval architecture.

Several of Stan’s paintings have been used to illustrate covers for books about Australian and New Zealand shipping, written by the well-known maritime historian Peter Plowman. His paintings are included in private collections in Australia and the United Kingdom, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line International, and have been displayed on a long term basis at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Stan is an Associate Member of the Royal Art Society of NSW and Fellow and former President of the Australian Society of Marine Artists.