All About The Light

Peter Stewart’s love for the African bush began with a school excursion to a local game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal. “I can still remember sleeping under the night sky next to the safety of a fire, listening to the sounds of the African night and waking up at the crack of dawn to begin the day”.

- Peter Stewart

He spent three years studying at the School of Graphic Design at Natal Technikon in Durban where he met up with a few other students who shared his passion for wildlife. They did a few wildlife paintings in their spare time and compared notes and techniques. “We all started working at the Natal Parks Board Crocodile Centre in St. Lucia, painting and constructing displays for the visitor centre. With my love for wildlife and conservation it was only natural that I ended up working as a graphic designer with the Natal Parks Board in Pietermaritzburg”. After many years of working for the Parks Board, WWF-UK in England and starting his own graphic design business in Durban, he finally took the plunge to become a full-time artist in 2011.

Peter’s paintings convey a deep understanding that is only achieved from knowing the subject matter intimately. Utilising subtle value and temperature shifts, fine draughtsmanship and pure intuition he weaves a world of breathable air and tactile forms.

“Over the years I have come across many exceptional wildlife painters that have continued to inspire me and I am a firm believer in following the greats that have blazed a trail before me. A study of the past and present masters will reveal many intricate techniques and details that go into creating a three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface. This can only be achieved by understanding and studying nature and how the science of light effects both the subject and the atmosphere. The great painters will always tell you: ‘it’s all about the light’”.