Artists
Stephen McKeown
Born in Harryville, Ballymena in 1951.
As a child Stephen had a keen interest in animals. He lived between Ballymena and Larne where he helped out in the local stables. He remembers drawing the family dog a lot, but did not consider a career in art until much later.
He left school at fourteen and worked in the salt mines in Kilroot. Stephen married at eighteen and moved to England and then to Amsterdam where he lived working as a painter and decorator, lorry driver and bartender. At the age of twenty seven he met an artist who encouraged him to draw and paint. It was then suggested that he should apply for a place at Art College. Stephen was accepted to the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, but after a change of plans attended Sunderland College of Art before transferring and graduating from the College of Art Belfast in 1983, where he had been accepted unconditionally.
Upon graduation Stephen moved to Cheshire where he acquired an interest in Sculpting. Within months he set up a company and within two years was employing 25-30 people producing mostly dog sculptures. After selling the company he returned to Northern Ireland for a short time before taking up a position as a Sculptor with Border Fine Arts in Scotland. He again returned to Northern Ireland where he formed a successful sculpture manufacturing business.
The Emer Gallery is one of the first galleries to showcase Stephen's sculptures. Commissioning him to sculpt Irish hares and lifesize Irish Wolfhounds has proved a huge success.The latest addition to this collection is a lifesize donkey.
Stephen's talents don't just lie in sculpting, his paintings which consist of animals including dogs and horses are equally appreciated.
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