Roland Stanbridge has a ‘knack for art’
JUKSKEI PARK – Roland Stanbridge is a local artist who wishes to retire doing what he loves.
Roland Stanbridge has dabbled in a variety of professions where the main thread which has woven his career together is a love for artistic modes of expression.
Driven to give the best in all that he does, the artist has worked tirelessly to perfect his passion of painting, where he felt ready to share it with the world.
“I am a perfectionist, so I definitely like to push myself because I nearly never consider myself good enough.”
Stanbridge grew up in Bellville, Cape Town behind what he and his mother Susan referred to as the ‘boerewors curtain’, down the road from famous local artist Jack Parrow. At seven years old, Stanbridge recalled being in awe of a book he saw on model building at the mall, which was the beginning of his career as a miniature model builder.
His talent with miniatures gave Stanbridge international fame, where he was the South African international champion for model building from 1995–1999. This career came to an end due to his deteriorated eyesight eight to 10 years ago.
This knowledge of proportion, which he cultivated as a model builder, has informed his skill as a hyper-realist painter. The artist has found inspiration from steampunk and expressed that his paintings were ‘realistic, while not looking like a photo’. His journey as a painter was sparked in 2014 when a friend of his commissioned a work from him, after last painting as a matric art student.
“I have a great love of art,” he said.
The artist wishes to build a collection of works to sell in a gallery within the next five years, get representation and potentially fund the opening of his own gallery to provide a platform for other artists like himself. Stanbridge also expressed a desire to continue the development of his art style and retire comfortably doing what he loves.
Follow Reach Stanbridge on his Instagram page @roland_stanbridge and on Facebook at Roland Stanbridge.
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