About Stephanie
"For me, painting is about making sense of life, making meaning out of experiences. I see my role as an artist as putting myself in service to this calling....to start a dialogue about what it means to walk around on this Earth, what it means to be human. Art can do so many things: celebrate joy and beauty, challenge us to think, ask tough questions, inspire us."
Stephanie's work celebrates the vibrant side of life. She paints with the aim of addressing weighty topics in an accessible way, using everyday items and animals to infer meaning. She graduated from Santa Clara University with a BA in English and is presently there pursuing an MBA in International Business and Leadership.
Although drawing and painting have been lifelong passions, she didn't throw herself into art until her early twenties after realizing that life without art making was no life at all. She believes the work of an artist is to be a vessel, and credits her relationship with God as her greatest inspiration.
In 2007, she established StudioPet, through which she quickly gained notoriety for her pet portraits in oil and acrylic. She was interviewed for her work on KRON4 local news, highlighted in the San Francisco Chronicle during National Pet Week, and featured in the San Jose Mercury News.
In addition to her art, Stephanie is also known throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for her volunteer work with Pit Bulls. She acts as Marketing Director for Our Pack Pit Bull Rescue and regularly teaches classes to the public about responsible Pit Bull ownership. She maintains the Our Pack website, fosters, and is working toward her dog training certification through Animal Behavior College.
An animal lover to the core, she spends her free time enjoying her three dogs (Harley the Pug, Chubby the French Bulldog, and Miso the Pit Bull), her Tennessee Walker/Paint horse, Jake, and her python, Monty. She also organizes social groups for Pug and Frenchie owners through Meetup.com.
Exhibitions
2010 // Sunnyvale Art Gallery, "Journeys," Group Show
ongoing // Happy Go Lucky Dog Boutique, Valley Fair Mall. San Jose, CA
2009 // Los Gatos Art Association, Member Juried Show
2009 // International Society of Acrylic Painters, Online Juried Show
2009 // West Valley College, "Small Works," Group Show
2007-2009 // Bark in the Park, San Jose, CA
2005 // Arash Gallery, Los Gatos, CA
Education
Stephanie has studied with notable artists such as Robert Burridge, Lauryn Taylor, and Mike Bailey.
present // MBA, International Business & Leadership. Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA.
2006 // BA, English. Magna Cum Laude. Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA.
Press
2008 // KRON4 San Francisco Bay Area. Everything for Pets.
2008 // KLIV 1590 radio interview
2008 // San Jose Mercury News. "The Picasso of Pets," featured article
2008 // San Francisco Chronicle. National Pet Week, featured article
2007 // French Bulldog National Specialty Show & Art Auction. Northglenn, CO.
Volunteer Work
Our Pack Pit Bull Rescue
Director of Marketing
Graphic design & web site, educational classes to the public & animal welfare organizations