Category Archives: Painting of the Week

Painting of the Week: “Piano Song”

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“Music is the wine of life. It has the power to transform, transfix, intoxicate and enchant, and music has done all of the above to me. It is art without form; it is sound stirring in me all the same things painting stirs in me, but without my sight. It’s another way to magically transport yourself through art. It is my love of music that inspired this piece, and my desire to put a visual to the rhythms and beats that stir my soul. The process is about me and the paint: The canvas becomes the record of that interaction; the subject or intention is the third element, of lesser importance. The colors — moving, dancing, finally finding a place to rest, from my imagination to the canvas. The lines twist and turn, juxtaposing. Shapes moving into each other, separated only by color and value.

“This piece is perhaps one of the best representations of Moshe Rosenthalis’ influence on me, both his art and writings. ‘I used to follow nature more closely, but I am now more true to myself. I take from nature only what interests me.’ And: ‘What I must know is how to make my painterly statement express my intention, and do so in a interesting way.’ Those are two of his quotes that freed me. This painting is a result of that freedom!” 

“Piano Song”
Size: 36 x 36
Medium: Mixed media
Price: $1,000

To purchase this painting or others by Stephanie, click here.

Painting of the Week: “Flamenco the Dance”

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Image“In a dark, candlelit club in Madrid, a glass of Spanish red in front of me, my heart skips a beat and then pounds on faster. The commanding spectacle has begun. Clap, slap, stomp: The stage comes alive, the music beautifully haunting, the dance completely captivating, and just like that, I’m transported. I’ve entered the world of flamenco, a Spanish tradition of song and dance that goes back to at least 1774, when it was first mentioned in literature. On Nov. 16, 2010, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared flamenco one of the Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. I am humbled by the performance, moved to tears by the sheer power of it. I can’t remember how many performances I saw on that trip to Spain, or how many I have seen since, but I know I was forever enchanted, a goner for this art form, haunting and passionate — nothing is held back. I painted this dance again and again, and would return to it as a subject matter anytime.

“This image recalls the dark bars and clubs where the only light is on the star of the show, the dancer, as she moves her body, uninhibited, as if the music were coming from inside her. I played the music of flamenco as I painted, let the feeling and passion of the song and memories of the movement of dance flow through me as I worked. Cheers to art inspiring art!”

Size: 36 x 36
Medium: Mixed media
Price: SOLD

To purchase Stephanie’s paintings, click here.