Identity

Stephen Whittaker

Life hasn’t been easy for Stephen Whittaker, but despite adversity and setbacks he’s managed to come through it all with amazing insight, dignity, courage and humour.

After time spent in orphanages, Stephen left home at age 11, sleeping in car parks and football ovals, foraging and finding places to live where he could.

Stephen started taking drugs from the age of 15, marking the beginning of a life of addiction. He lived in a massage parlor in Richmond for seven years, during which time he was regularly in and out of drug rehabilitation.

A heart attack followed in 2007, Stephen’s kidneys shut down and testing revealed he had Hepatitis C.

Stephen continues to suffer chronic health problems. In 2014 alone he spent four months in hospital and had 62 hospital stays, including 15 trips in emergency ambulances. He’s had part of his kidneys removed and he is now on dialysis three days a week for five hours at a time. As recent as October 2016 he suffered a heart attack.

Art allows Stephen go to a pleasant place where he doesn’t have to be logical or analytical. His art comes instinctively and just evolves – ‘from the back of my head’ – as he puts it. His life and story is released through his art – a process he finds far easier and more enjoyable than therapy!

Stephen has often drawn for 12 hours straight, long into the morning. Each piece can take him over 200 hours to complete. His only drawing tools are paper, Papermate ball-point pens and pencil.

Stephen’s artwork may never have been discovered if it weren’t for one of his caseworkers, who encouraged Stephen to hang them on his wall and enter a calendar competition.

To read more about Stephen, click here.