OLD GUILDFORDIANS
spray painting walls in 1982. “You could say
that this was the turning point in which I
decided to first create artwork in public.”
“Take me home” (2016).
He left Perth in 1986 to travel and paint, and
during that time Stormie formed relationships
with many other artists and people. It was
this networking that would later lead to
the opportunities for his work to expand
overseas, to places such as the United States
and Scotland. His first solo exhibition was in
Perth in 1999 and it was the first time that
he had set out to create a show and take
painting on a canvas seriously.
Since his debut solo exhibition, Stormie
has continued his hard work and passion
to create a significant expansion of his
collector base in Australia and has sold out
shows in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.
His imaginative works are represented in
galleries around Australia as well as his
private and public commissions within the
streets of Australia, Scotland and the United
States. Stormie’s work in The Cullen Hotel in
Prahran, Melbourne, was a ground breaking
commission with The Street Art Suite, being
the first Australian street artist that the Art
Series Hotel Group had worked with. His
compelling personal story and his passion
for his practice has made him a sought
after speaker. In 2012 he presented at the
world’s most respected design festival, the
agIdeas International Design Forum. This led
Stormie to be invited by the forum’s creator,
Ken Cato, to be one of the 25 artists to
create an artwork that celebrated its 25-year
history. Stormie’s extensive portfolio has been
captured in two beautiful volumes, the first
being Proximamente in 2007 and the second
being Dwi Yma published in 2013.
Stormie describes his art as primarily
being about “the exploration of isolation
in the context of my own very personal
observations of the human condition and
what it is that gives people the strength to
overcome adversity.” In his work, Stormie’s
palette is sharply monochromatic; “black
represents dirt, white speaks of erasure,
grey is drawn from the cityscape and
silver the language of dreams. The works
draw on a deep sense of isolation and yet
each character seems to carry a message
of hope.” His characters have a palpable
presence and a sense of humanity, which
leads Stormie to highlight that “when art
captures the tenderness of the human
condition, people connect with it.” Within
his workings, Stormie doesn’t seek to impart
a specific message on a viewer. He creates
his art with the intention to say something
to someone else or generate a conversation
between people, which gives his practice
purpose and has the ability to affect people
and ignite change.
Aside from art, Stormie has a great interest
in motorcycles and vintage cars, having built
a hot-rod from scratch. Over the years he
has run into a few Old Guildfordians and he
enjoyed catching up at the 30-year reunion
last year.
Stormie’s extensive and successful career
has certainly been impressive, making it
difficult to single out an exhibition as a
favourite or most successful. “I have had
some amazing experiences painting some
of my artworks and exhibiting in different
places, so my favourite is my last exhibition,
quickly replaced by my next exhibit