Steven Heyen - Artist

I have been creating art for as long as I can remember. I was lucky enough to grow up all around the world, including in Papua New Guinea, Australia, Fiji, Kenya, Indonesia and Malaysia. I had an artistic family, and drawing and painting kept us occupied in the absence of television. As the son of a pilot, much of my subject matter revolved around aviation, and particularly military aircraft. I began using oil paints in my early teens, after coming across some Keith Ferris paintings in an aviation magazine. Oil paint remains my primary medium now, but like many painters, I owe a lot to years of pencil work.

I am essentially self-taught, which in hindsight isn’t the ideal way to progress an art career! I continued painting after high school, through the eighties and nineties, focusing mainly on wildlife and aviation subjects. In 2000 I decided to focus purely on Australian landscape art for a few years, and was heavily influenced by Australia’s Heidelberg School artists. Curiously, this resulted in a dramatic improvement in aviation art sales. Today I split my painting load between landscape and aviation art, the latter to a global market where I have collectors in twelve countries.

My aviation work is for the most part depictions of WWII aircraft, where I have carved out a reputation for high-quality images, with convincing skyscape and landscapes within the composition. I pay particular detail to historical, geographical and technical accuracy, including the impact of weathering on the camouflage colours used at the time. My works vary dramatically in size, from 8 X 12-inch pieces to near-mural dimensions. My largest commission in this genre to-date was an eight-foot wide painting of B-24 Liberator bombers. I am lucky to have wonderful client base, many of whom have over ten of my works in their collection. My aim in the aviation art genre is to make quality original art an option to those enthusiasts who started collecting through the limited-edition print scene.

I work full-time as an artist these days. I have a studio in my house in Cremorne Point, a wonderful waterside suburb of Sydney, Australia.


Achievements

Sales of over 200 aviation paintings

Featured artist Saatchi Online Gallery, 2016.

Featured artist Bluethumb Online Gallery, 2018.

Australasian Wildlife
Art Award            - Best new artist 1985

Invited Artist, Brisbane
Airport opening            - 1990

Waterford Natural
Science Art Prize        - Finalist 2005

RAAF Heritage Award    - Winner 2005, 2008, 2018
 - 2nd Prize 2003, 2007

Mosman Art Prize            - Short-listed 2001, 2011, 2012, 2013
Mortimore Prize               - Short-listed 2013
Tattersalls Art Prize          - Invited artist 2013