Stephen Embleton

“Wild Play” (FOR SALE) Wild Play (1.2 x 1m) Acrylic on Canvas Mock-fighting among wild dogs seems playful, but it hones their skills for the hunt. A vibrant, bold and playful acrylic on canvas piece (1.2m x 1m) depicting African wild dogs (painted dogs) at play  🐕🐾 For more information or pricing requests: art [at] embleton [dot] co [dot] za Stephen Embleton Detail Detail Detail Detail Detail – Close Up Detail – Sun From the initial A2 charcoal comp (comprehensive) in mid December 2020, Stephen went on to paint the large-scale canvas over a week. A2 Charcoal Comp The Process: Textured Gesso Base Acrylic Wash (Sun masked out) Acrylic Wash (dried) For more information or pricing requests:  art [at] embleton [dot] co [dot] za

The first review is in! And it's a goodie: From Joanna Woods Africa in Words: Drawing on our inner and imagining our afterlives, revealing a "larger narrative about systems of belief on our planet”. Selected excerpts: Embleton’s narrative pushes against the Western ideological status-quo in science fiction. The novel is marked by astronomical traditions; sangomas are written into its pages; and, the interesting persona Ma’at, a goddess ostensibly based on the Egyptian goddess of truth and harmony, figures centrally. Overall, the close attention paid to characters and their relationships with one another underscores how belief systems form, influence, and are entangled in lives, and this starts from the moment of childhood. Soul Searching is a work that packs in and tries to do a lot, but throughout its 368 pages the author maintains suspense and with moments of poetic prose interwoven, the sense of intrigue and craft is also conserved. Mixing strategies of analepsis often ascr

A DOOR TO A WORLD, LEFT AJAR By Stephen Embleton   A door to a world, left ajar, With its light tugging from the beyond, Beholds a sight not too far.   Your stones have rippled on life’s pond, And whether you be sage or crone, Your brow has deepened and frowned.   A mist descends upon limb and bone, Cold sands come from the sky, A frost resting upon crown and throne.   A moon does wane, a closing eye. Altogether unstuck, you cannot hold. Uniquely erased with Death’s last sigh.   O’ to shut the door to that world, Always ajar to the young and old.   You look to the God of youth, You search the myths for proof. You look to the God of another, The intangible gods of others. Look to the light, look to your star. Release your Self, release your bond. Step forward and through the door left ajar.  

The second piece in the digital "Freedom" series: "Freedom of Flight" . See "Light Flight Freedom" . Creating digital art with new brushes in Photoshop. I can alter colours (particularly the background colour) and see how different that feels. This digital version (a 100% piece of art and not a rough) allows the work to stand alone but also inform the choices for the physical illustration. These are high res, so poster size with a good level of detail. I also hope that anyone wanting this or a similar piece, whether book cover art or wall art, will request usage. This is the one instance where my horrendous handwriting is (barely) acceptable – with a fat ink brush.

Trying my hand at some digital art with new brushes in Photoshop. What this means for me is I can alter colours (particularly the background colour) and see how different that feels. This digital version (a 100% piece of art and not a rough) allows the work to stand alone but also inform the choices for the physical illustration. These are high res, so poster size with a good level of detail. I also hope that anyone wanting this or a similar piece, whether book cover art or wall art, will request usage. The second piece in this digital series "Freedom" can be viewed here:  "Freedom of Flight" . This is the one instance where my horrendous handwriting is (barely) acceptable – with a fat ink brush.

Experimenting with a combination of ink roller and ink brushwork for these two versions of a portrait.

  Soul Searching – Paperback Out and Available on Amazon (All), Barnes & Noble etc. One killer. An ocean of souls. Science has learned to understand the soul, and can track souls through this life and beyond. A specialist unit of the South African police is using a Soul Tracker device in a harrowing search for a serial killer. As Tracker Ruth Hicks and her partner Franklin Banks race to find the killer before the next victim dies, the case becomes frighteningly personal. They begin to question the morality of their methods. When one’s soul can incriminate them before birth, can there ever be justice? Who can be trusted with the power to look inside the soul? “Tense and exciting with lots of good twists. I really enjoyed it!” --V Anne Smith, author of A Code for Carolyn: A Genomic Thriller  *** Science has learned to understand the soul, and can track souls through this life and beyond. A specialist unit of the South African police is using a Soul Tracker device in a harrowing se

On Thursday evening I read a passage from my science fiction thriller, Soul Searching, followed by some insights and background into the segment chosen. Available in ebook on all major online book stores – paperback coming September. WATCH HERE: Below is the excerpt (from Chapter 4) – featuring the two main themes of Beliefs and Parents: I was twelve, just about to break the spell of my youth and dive head on into teenager life. So that would have been 1985. My friend and I have just walked the five kilometres to his house after school, joking around, pushing each other into bushes. Kids. As we’re coming closer to his place we notice smoke in the air above his property. We give each other a look and pick up our pace. He’s got high walls surrounding his property but because of the incline of the road we can just make out his brother and mother busying themselves around the source of the smoke. He starts shouting to them as he’s opening the tall iron gate on the driveway. His mother turn

  The Cock & The Crow (Poem): an ode to the downtrodden Cock-a-doodle-doo said the cock to the crow while sitting in the sun on his stoep. Hey diddle-diddle said the crow to the cock and picked another scrap from the step. “What a great morning beheld before us,” said the cock through his smooth golden beak. “It depends how high up the stairs you are standing to check of what you gleefully speak. “From here I see only scraps before me, all your loose-ends and dry looking wors. “For it's you, my broer, who loves to mock those stukkend, and broken or worse. “How upright you stand with your plume in the air, all colours all radiant and bright. “Yet, here I slum, begging and screaming so loud and very contrite. “Only to be cursed or ignored, whichever you feel I deserve. “You look at my coat, black and downtrodden, and inside you know it's perverse   “Perverse because I feed off your scraps to keep you all safe and tight. “Yes, you know it, it makes you feel kief when you'r

Soul Searching – eBook Out and Available on Amazon (All), Kobo, Barnes & Noble etc. Trade Paperback out in September 2020. One killer. An ocean of souls. Science has learned to understand the soul, and can track souls through this life and beyond. A specialist unit of the South African police is using a Soul Tracker device in a harrowing search for a serial killer. But when one's soul can incriminate them before birth, can there ever be justice? This science fiction novel by South African author Stephen Embleton has been likened to a mix of "Minority Report" and "Silence of the Lambs", with unique ideas all its own. The thrilling story features a serial killer, new and disturbing technology, and an ancient secret society. And flying cars. Available here: Amazon (US) Amazon (UK) Kobo Barnes & Noble Find out more at Guardbridge Books . Paperback Outlets: Amazon (US) Amazon (UK) Barnes & Noble Waterstones Loot (South Africa)

I Hope I Dream of My Soul Tonight (featured in ‘Soul Searching’) I can feel my warm bright light?
 My Soul is inside but not out of sight.  It’s there with me all through my day. In a smile or the things I say.  And sometimes when I sleep and dream I get to see my Soul’s bright beam.  It can tell me grand big tales
 Or fly me through the sky with whales.  My Soul is here, not in another world It’s me, just bigger and brighter and gold.  I hope I dream. I'll pray till late.
 I’ll hope. I’ll dream. I’ll pray. I’ll wait.  Before the dawn, before it's light. 
I hope I dream of my Soul this night.

 Allow The Darkness (featured in ‘Soul Searching’) 08-08-2020 If Blue was the colour of sunshine And Green was the colour of the sky I’d like to think that ships wouldn’t sink And everyone knew how to fly.  But the world’s not topsy-turvy  And the way it spins is right.  Sometimes there is darkness  And sometimes there is light.

I wanted to attempt a series of graphic ink illustrations featuring simple set ups of interesting chairs (from around our house) in their natural spaces. Seating Spaces To purchased prints and other variations of the artwork, check out my Society6 store or my Zazzle store pages. I took a photo of the bay windows and the wooden chair (Friday 10th April 2020) as the template (centred layout) and angle. From there I took reference images of the variety of furniture and set about composing each pairing – chair and background. I then selected the paper – 300gsm waterolour paper – and using a 0.3 and 0.5 fineliner pens. I complete the first two on Saturday 11th April and the final three on Monday 13th April 2020. Bay Windows Studio Dining Bedroom Lounge Below are some detail photos and work in progress: Bay Windows detail Bay Windows detail Studio detail Studio detail Studio detail Dining detail Dining detail Bed