Stephen Wimbush

Born nearly the eldest of nine children, Stephen was raised in a tiny two bedroom apartment in the back of his father\'s deli. When he wasn\'t occupied working the register, he spent much of his young life sculpting meat slices into his favorite Star wars characters. His portraits would be displayed amongst the slabs of roasted chicken, honey ham and turkey, and caused some alarm amongst the customers. Regardless of the customer\'s complaints, Stephen\'s parents celebrated his talents and encouraged him to pursue his passion for art. One December, when Stephen was eight years old, tragedy struck his family. His younger brother Hank-William had set his light-bright in the branches of the Christmas tree which sparked a fire. Fortunately no one was harmed. The loss of the deli meant big changes for Stephen’s family, and added responsibility for the older siblings. Stephen worked hard and had many interesting jobs, such as dog stylist, newspaper boy, and line cook. Although the fire was unfortunate, the resulting efforts to come together as a family shaped Stephen’s determination and established a strong work ethic within him. When he was twelve years old Stephen hitchhiked to Seattle and saw his first Picasso painting. It was at that moment that all his creative efforts streamlined into one dream; Stephen wanted to paint. So after he volunteered his time in a gorilla sanctuary in Africa, he finally enrolled in art school. He currently resides in Vancouver with his family and pet rabbit \"Hoser\".