Stephane Joannes studied at L'Ecole Superieure des Arts Decoratifs in Strasbourg, France. He has always been fascinated by ships and sea. Initially focusing on marine landscapes, he started to include sailing and fishing boats in his paintings. Unsatisfied with this simple romanticism Joannes decided to paint enormous, dirty vessels roaming the oceans in search of crude oil, rust and tired steel. He travelled around Europe looking for these majestic sea giants; Super Tankers in Le Havre, Rotterdam, Anvers, Marseille, etc., all the major European harbours, and he is now best known for his work on this subject. His large and powerful canvases portray the vast, imposing ships he encountered on his travels. These mesmerising and beautifully executed paintings are invested with great force yet maintain a beautiful tranquillity at the same time. Using techniques he has created and perfected, Joannes manages to imbue his tankers with a sense of toil, rust and reality that makes them utterly captivating. His love of the subject and his understanding of their silent power are most apparent. Many years later, his fascination for the powerful vessels is still the same. Joannes has work in private collections across the globe and exhibits with Quantum at art fairs all around world including New York, London, San Francisco, Singapore and Hong Kong.
