Art for Steven

Some years ago, this man was inspired to make the transition from cartooning to painting. He had always wanted to express himself in this way, and he dedicates every painting to his late brother Steven who inspired him.

- Paul Dorin

An empty canvas is always challenging but has the potential to become a significant piece of artwork. It was always explained to me that a painting is like a sunset … they’re all nice, but sometimes we’ll stand back and look at one and say, “Wow! How amazing and beautiful it is!”

I dedicate every painting to my late brother Steven who inspired me to paint.

Wollongong in New South Wales has been my home since I was born. I left school in 1984, to pursue my career as a cartoonist. There were a lot more magazines publishing cartoons back then – like The Bulletin and The Australasian Post.

I had my first big break in 1985 with The Bulletin magazine accepting and publishing one of my very first cartoons. Over the years, my cartoons have been strongly influenced by Australian culture and unique wildlife. Many of my cartoons have appeared in various leading Australian and overseas magazines.

I really enjoy political cartooning. It’s a license I like to have fun with. The pen can be mightier than the sword, sometimes!

About 16 years ago, I was inspired to make the transition from cartooning to painting. I had always wanted to express myself painting, since I was a kid growing up, watching artists like Rolf Harris on television. Rolf was perhaps one of the first (artist) painters I ever saw paint. But it was my late brother Steven Dorin who was my biggest inspiration … he was a brilliant sketcher and painter, and as a kid many of his works were displayed on the kitchen wall for everyone to see and admire.