Amber Gabrielle Stephens is a choreographer, dancer and artist.

 

The main focus has always been dance however oil painting has been a steady concurrent practice, occupation and area of study.

 

Dance began at age 4 with ballet and continued with contemporary dance. Oil painting became her occupation at age 22 when she was awarded a NZ government business development scholarship to open her portraiture business, ‘Depiction’. 

 

Keen to travel again (for the 3rd time) to Europe, Amber embarked on a journey to Vienna, Austria for Impulstanz (dance) Festival to study with choreographer Emio Greco. Vienna was a very difficult place to leave and so she decided to seek opportunities to exhibit her art and dance. Amber was discovered by a festival director and the manger of Tosca's electronic duo and shortly an opportunity came about to collaborate with Rubert Huber of the Tosca duo, which then led to the formation of both her solo and group choreographic works in festivals such as Stadtfest, Cityfestwochen, Vienna Art Biennale and first full length production, "The Beggar and The Bird", collaborating with opera singer and composer, Natalie Jean Marain at the Odeon Theatre. 

 

For both practical and artistic purposes Amber applied to The Academy Of Fine Arts (Academie Der Bildende Kunste Wien) as way to pursue her love of painting and continue her undergraduate degree in performing arts (previously started at Unitec in Auckland). Having been awarded a rare placement to study under the renown Austrian artist, Erwin Bohatch, Amber stayed another 4 years completing her undergraduate degree. This city of music fuelled Amber’s history with playing the violin. The music along with constructing numerical arrangements using sacred geometry spurred her first abstract painting series 'Visual Kinetic', it it was at this time that Amber discovered an ability to see patterns and colours with sound, otherwise known as synaesthesia. The first ‘Visual Kinetic’ paintings were created in the districts where Vivaldi, Beethoven and Mozart had lived and worked. These paintings began a journey that continues today. Amber’s first visual music collection was given an exhibition at the Wolframs Gallery in Vienna’s. Click here to see paintings.

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Amber returned to New Zealand and completed a post graduate diploma in dance at Auckland’s Unitec Performing Arts School, choreographed works with The British Council and Fashion Week with her company Sugar Kicks. Amber then founded 'Barre Warrior', a pilates/barre fitness teacher training program, training hundreds of barre fitness instructors throughout NZ. 

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Portraiture continued with such paintings of Kiwis such as chef Josh Emett, Kayak gold medalist Eric Murray, BMX gold medalist Sarah Walker and painted 12 of New Zealand’s top medalist Paralympians to assist in promoting and raising money for the 2016 Paralympic Games. The exhibition was entitled ‘Spirit Of Gold’ and was opened by Prime Minister John Key. Other exhibitions include her abstract series 'Chaos & Order'. Click here to see a selection of portraits.

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Dovetailing amongst painting and fitness, Amber continued to engage in choreography and dance projects taking on the role of choreographic director of LUMA light festival in Queenstown 2019.

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Currently Amber is collaborating as part of the performative duo, 'The Amber Temple' with musician and singer/songwriter Julian Temple. 

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Quick Links

paintings

portraits

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www.theambertemple.com

@theambertemplenz

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