Biography

Illustrating a science fiction novel often presents unique challenges - much of what is described simply does not exist. Since I paint in a figurative, realistic way, this can be quite difficult without a reference.

Born in Palmerston North, New Zealand, Douglas Stichbury lives and works between Brooklyn, New York, and Hong Kong. His works are held in the collections of both the Wellington City Council and James Wallace Arts Trust; and he has been Artist in Residence at institutions across China, Germany, Austria, and New Zealand.

Stichbury's work is heavily influenced by speculative science fiction, which he says inspires most of his pieces. But while his primary medium is painting, the nature of his subject forces him to innovate. To meet the challenge of depicting from imagination, Stichbury utilises industrial software more commonly found in cinema and engineering, to digitally plan his work. Using a dry-brush technique, he then grounds the esoteric imagery with black oil paint on linen so that it assumes tangible materiality.


The result, are quasi-illusory worlds which draw the viewer into their artificial depth, though at the same time foreground the canvas' surface - creating tension between one's immersion in, and awareness of the fiction. 

Available Works
  • Douglas Stichbury, Institute, 2020
    Institute, 2020$9,000 incl. GST
  • Douglas Stichbury, Glass House, 2020
    Glass House, 2020$12,500 incl. GST
  • Douglas Stichbury, Megaliths, 2020
    Megaliths, 2020$14,000 incl. GST
  • Douglas Stichbury, Levitating Oculi, 2020
    Levitating Oculi, 2020$8,500 incl. GST
  • Douglas Stichbury, Reflected Mirrors, 2020
    Reflected Mirrors, 2020$8,500 incl. GST
  • Douglas Stichbury, Transmiter Island, 2019
    Transmiter Island, 2019$5,000 incl. GST
  • Douglas Stichbury, Chain Hand, 2018
    Chain Hand, 2018$3,900 incl. GST
  • Douglas Stichbury, Automata Boots, 2017
    Automata Boots, 2017$3,200 incl. GST
  • Douglas Stichbury, Prism, 2017
    Prism, 2017$3,500 incl. GST
  • Douglas Stichbury, 1993, 2016
    1993, 2016$4,800 incl. GST
  • Douglas Stichbury, Parallax , 2016
    Parallax , 2016$3,000 incl. GST
  • Douglas Stichbury, Teleprompter, 2015
    Teleprompter, 2015$8,500 incl. GST
Works
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