Diver Series: Figures on the Brink

On the Brink

Oil on Canvas — 152 x 180 cm (60 x 71 in)

Falling Man

Oil on Canvas — 200 x 180 cm (78.5 x 71 in)

Falling Couple

Oil on Canvas — 197 x 98 cm (77.5 x 38.5 in)

Diver with outstretched hand - Nicholas Stedman

Diver Testing the Water

Oil on Canvas — 180 x 180 cm (71 x 71 in)

Falling Woman

Oil on Canvas — 200 x 100 cm (78.5 x 39.5 in)

The Diver

Oil on Canvas — 99 x 76 cm (39 x 30 in)

Nude Man on Cliff

Oil on Canvas — 80 x 80 cm (31.5 x 31.5 in)

Man on Cliff Edge

Oil on Canvas — 132 x 113 cm (52 x 44.5 in)

Nude Man Gazing Out to Sea | Nicholas Stedman

Outlook Nude Man

Oil on Canvas — 100 x 100 cm (39.5 x 39.5 in)

Naked Woman Jumping - Abstract Landscape | Nicholas Stedman

Jumping Woman

Oil on Canvas — 100 x 50 cm (39.5 x 19.5 in)

Dreaming Woman

Oil on Canvas — 100 x 150 cm (39.5 x 59 in)

Nude Man on Diving Board - Imane Ayissi | Nicholas Stedman

Ayissi on Diving Board

Oil on Canvas — 198 x 97 cm (78 x 38 in)

Man Falling into Blue Sea | Nicholas Stedman

Falling Male Figure

Oil on Canvas — 73 x 50 cm (28.5 x 19.5 in)

Cliff Jump

Oil on Canvas — 116 x 90 cm (45.5 x 35.5 in)

First Diver Study (1979)

Acrylic on Hardboard — 40 x 40 cm (15.5 x 15.5 in)

First Diver painting (1986) - Nice, France | Nicholas Stedman

Diver on the rocks in Nice (1986)

Oils and oilstiks on jute canvas — 170 x 140 cm (67 x 55 in)

The Diver Gallery

The Diver series explores male and female figures poised on cliffs, caught in moments of hesitation before leaping. This lifelong investigation began in 1979 on the Côte d’Azur, at the end of the Promenade des Anglais, where rocky cliffs allow divers to jump into the Mediterranean from heights of up to 10 meters.

At that time, I was making numerous sketches from life. The first diver study (1979) can be seen here. In 1986, I returned to Nice to complete my first large-scale work on jute canvas using expressionistic "Oilstiks" (view Diver in Nice).

The theme took on a new dimension when I moved to Sicily. The stark limestone cliffs of Siracusa and the vertical intensity of the Sicilian sun brought a renewed focus on light, shadow, and the metaphysical "moment of the brink." Working with models both in the studio and on location, I continue to explore this tension between the figure and the horizon.

Several of these works have been collected by art lovers worldwide. Currently, a featured diver painting is available on RiseArt; you can view it here.