Who is Stephen Franks ?

Stephen Franks (1942 – 2002) was a well known artist who lived his life around the central western New South Wales City of Dubbo.

Franks mostly painted landscapes and never drifted far from home. His paintings covered territory from Dubbo across to the mid north coast of NSW.  His slightly austere style captures well the bleached light and washed out colours of the Australian landscape and is reminiscent of the early settler period.

Bend in the river, Macleay Valley, NSW. Oil on board.

Weatherboard Cottage. Oil on board.

Untitled. Watercolour on board

Bush Path. Oil on canvas

Stephen Franks painted on boards and canvas, mostly with oil, but there do exist some rarer watercolours and ink works.

There is an active market in Stephen Franks’ art. His larger oil based landscapes have commanded prices up to AUD$2500. The majority of his works now sell for between AUD$250 – $1000. Like many artists, Franks had a turbulent relationship with alcohol and his death in controversial circumstances in 2002 boosted both his profile and the resale prices of his art.