Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephenie Anderson.
Hi Stephenie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been a visual person. I consider myself a better visual communicator than verbal. For me it’s hard to find the words that convey the deep feelings I wish to say. I was the kid staring deeply at the details of a blade of grass rather than playing ball.
My parents are a big part of why I love nature so much. It comes with the territory when your mom is named Nature and you are literally Natures daughter. Growing up I spent a lot of time in East Texas with my father. We would explore the woods and he would teach me the different types of trees, plants, and animals local to the area. Losing him suddenly at the age of thirteen definitely influenced my outlook on life. I think that shows through in my work. I consider myself a sensitive person and often felt mishandled by life and circumstances. With age and experience I realized these individual struggles made me stronger and gave me a unique understanding of the world. We all have individual strife in life and I think these connect us rather than separate us.
I didn’t have a steady education, changing schools multiple times, moving often, dropping out, truancy. It was tumultuous at times. Thankfully I was able to get a diploma with an online program and with the help of my cousin enroll in college.
I always loved creating but didn’t take it seriously until an art appreciation course in college. I had great mentors throughout that experience who truly sparked a fire and belief that, yes, I can do this! Once I used art as an outlet of expressing my view of life, as a way of coping with hardships, and processing grief it became less a hobby and more of an intrinsic need to create. I worked on art education as my career path, teaching public school for seven years. This experience was so rewarding. Fostering students’ creativity was an honor but I was losing my creative voice in the process. I decided to step back and focus on my own artistic endeavors.
That’s when I started Shield of Dreams Studio. I included my maiden name “Shields” as a way to pay homage to my father.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been far from smooth! Having a support system that believes in me has been instrumental in my growth as an artist. My daughter, husband, and family help keep me motivated when I suffer from the dreaded “imposter syndrome” that most artists struggle with.
I’m an artistic person and the business side of that does not come naturally to me. However, I found that if you want to build success as an artist you have to treat it as a business. I started doing vending and art shows to get my work “out there.” Finding support from local art organizations and other artists who are experiencing the same struggles has been instrumental in overcoming some of these challenges.
One of my biggest achievements is joining McKinney Art Gallery. They host so many artists who are all in this crazy venture together. The owner is also an artist and really supports those of us within the gallery. It’s always great to bounce ideas around and talk to other artists who just “get it.”
Getting exposure as an artist can be so hard but joining local organizations is a great way to help with that. I’m a member of ARTragous Art Hub, Sherman Art League, Visual Art Guild of Frisco, Visual Art League of Allen and show with Denison Art Council. All of these organizations give artists opportunities to showcase and sell their work.
Also trial and error. Sometimes the only way to learn is to just go for it, hope for the best, and figure it out along the way!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My most well known work utilizes watercolor or gouache. My goal is to portray the profound connections between flora, fauna and the human experience. I find using plants and animals to be more relatable and inclusive in expressing the deep messages I want to convey.
My painting’s focus on nature as a powerful symbol to convey the depths of our emotions, struggles, and triumphs.
I focus not only on the visual details of my subject matter but also how they are represented historically, the symbolism they convey, and how they have appeared in folklore and mythologies. This helps me understand and honor my subjects, giving me inspiration in how I present them to my viewers.
For example, I love getting lost in the research on the entomology of a cicada and the iconography of a crown of thorns or reading Aesop’s fables and thinking of visual interpretations for them or finding funny/cheeky ways to visually represent classic southern idioms.
One painting I’m most proud of is hanging in Anna’s Community Library and is titled “Infinite Dance.” It features two Scissortail Flycatchers connected by their tail feathers caught in an infinite dance of flight. The male Scissortail often puts on crazy swoops and swirls in the sky when courting the female, known as the “sky dance” and I thought this was a great metaphor for matrimony. I love how the composition also takes on the look of the infinity symbol.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
So far the most important lesson has been to keep pushing through the hardships and to stay true to yourself.
We as artist often evolve and change. We try new materials, experiment with different techniques, and try different business ventures to grow. Sometimes these work and sometimes they don’t but if you push through and remember why you create that’s what really matters.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artworkarchive.com/profile/stephenie-anderson
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shieldofdreamsstudio?igsh=bzA2NnpqdWM0bWt2
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1ZCZsoLY3K/?mibextid=wwXIfr
