ABOUT THE ARTIST

Stephany retired in Arroyo Grande after spending half of her life in the computer industry and half as a middle school teacher. Her work and studies took her out of the country for six years and travel is still one of her passions. She enjoys visiting third world countries and getting to know the people, culture and art. Since retiring she has had time to pursue her art and she uses many of the ideas she gleaned from her travels in her art. Her primary focus is doing Chinese Brush Paintings and Silk Scarves and Paintings although she continues to study other mediums through the colleges in the area.

This year she spent a week in New Mexico learning from some of the other renowned artists in this medium. This image is taken from Jean-Louis Mireault's, website (go to the bottom). He was Stephany's instructor at the Santa Fe International Silk Painter's conference early this month. He and the other instructors, Margaret Hartsook from Colorado and Paula Carnell from England, were fantastic as were the other instructors who she hopes to study with at a later date. Stephany is continually inspired.

In 2007, she studied with Susan Louise Moyer in Mendocino, CA for a week. Susan has published several books that serve as guides to all silk painters. Susan is one of the best.

She has studied Chinese brush painting with Yet Por Chen, former director of the Art Institute in Taiwan; Judy Chiu, and Phyllis Case Bennett. In September of 2006 she went to Hangzhou, China for an intensive art course at the China Art Institute, where she immersed herself in painting for eight hours a day for a month in order to perfect her art.

She has studied silk painting with Traci de Castro, Jacqueline Bradley and Jill Targer. She paints according to her moods. Rarely does she know what she is going to paint when she sets down to her rice paper or silk stretcher. As she says, “Spirit moves through me and the resulting design flows out naturally and uniquely.”