“He lies in front of me curled up before the fire, as so many dogs must have lain before so many fires. I sit on one side of that hearth, as so many men must have sat by so many hearths. Somehow this creature has completed my manhood; somehow, I cannot explain why, a man ought to have a dog. A man ought to have six legs; those other four legs are part of him.” – G.K Chesterton (Lunacy and Letters, 1958)
Stephen Gallagher, originally from Co. Tyrone, was formally trained as an architect in Belfast and has worked in offices in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. He now works full time as a professional fine artist specialising in Canine Oil Portraiture.
His work employs the ‘Alla Prima’ technique also known as the Direct Method, bringing a fresh and ‘alive’ aesthetic to his paintings. He has a growing international fan base and has held exhibitions in Australia and N.Ireland with private collectors worldwide.
Education
BA Hons Architecture – University of Ulster 2009
Artistic Training – Trained under award winning New Zealand artist Mehrdad Tahan, 2016
Exhibitions
2016 Dec – Group Show, The Corridor Gallery, Brisbane
2017 June – Solo Show ‘A Portrait: 100 Brisbane Rescues’, Reload, Old Munitions Factory, Brisbane
2017 September – Solo Show ‘A Portrait: 100 Brisbane Rescues’, Black Lab Coffee, Brisbane
2017 November – ‘A Portrait: 100 Brisbane Rescues’, Dog Lovers Show, RICC, Brisbane
2018 May – Group Show, The Village Art Gallery, N.Ireland
2018 Dec – Group Show, The Village Art Gallery, N.Ireland
2019 June – ‘Old Mates’ Exhibition, The Dirty Onion, Belfast, N. Ireland
2019 Nov – 2020 Feb – ‘Rescued’ Adderton House & Heart of Mercy Brisbane
2023 Sept – Solo Show ‘A Hound’s Dream’, Gallery One, Belfast, N. Ireland
Private Collections
Australia (Queensland/New South Wales/Victoria/Tasmania), New Zealand, Canada,
USA, UK, Ireland