Stephanie Allison is an interesting local artist here in Fresno, mainly because her paintings and creations have a certain feel of historical fashion. If you look closely at her work, all females featured in her art are created with styles that mark a certain era in the history and world of fashion. Another amazing thing about her art is the detail that she puts in every stroke of her brush. The features are so striking; you will always be drawn to the face of each character, with each and every one of them sharing similar traits yet still bear that distinct characteristic that will certainly identify one from the other. What I find striking about Stephanie is her ability to dedicate such detail to every piece of her creations while balancing her time between working and studying. She’s currently studying at Fresno City College and plans to transfer to Fresno State in order to get her credentials for teaching art.

Please tell us something about yourself.

I'm passionate about art and learning new things. I feel that art is something that we must always keep in our schools. I love that I can use art to raise awareness for causes, and I love that art can bring people together in a community.

What do you usually do when you are not concentrating on your creativity?

If I'm not creating something, then I'm most likely at work. I'm a secretary during the week and I also go to Fresno City College. Whenever I get the chance though, I love to be outdoors and with family & friends.

How did you get started as an artist?

I got bit by the artist bug at a young age. My parents were ceramic artists, my great aunt was a watercolor painter and my aunt, uncle & cousins create amazing pieces of pottery as well. Being around art is something that has always been normal to me. If I’m not around art or creating art at least every couple of days then I feel ab-normal.

I made pottery with the family business for years, [and] then started taking painting classes in middle & high school where I really fell in love with acrylics. I started painting more seriously after moving to Fresno 5 years ago when I saw that there was a booming artist community that I could be a part of.

What is your art specialty?

I am a painter...paint runs through my veins! Even when I was making ceramics, my favorite part was to paint the piece after the bisque firing. However, painting on canvas and paper is such a rewarding journey for me. It's the feeling you get after knowing that you've created this visual design that was once a mere image in your brain onto a blank white canvas for all to see.

How would you describe your art?

It's always hard for me to describe it. Most of my paintings don't have an incredible deep meaning to them. I create art to keep me sane...get my daydreams out on paper. My mind is constantly running on full speed, it’s often hard for me to sort out my thoughts about anything until I can sit down and paint. If people like my art then great, if they don't that's ok too!

Who is your inspiration for the female subjects in your paintings?

Sometimes I have an idea of an exact person in my head but it almost never ends up looking like that, so I just let her take shape. Perhaps the painting wants to be who it wants to be. The first thing I do is sketch out my idea onto the canvas or paper. Usually I have no color palette in mind until my brush searches for the right one.

 The most enjoyable part of the painting for me is to create her "style". The make-up, clothes, hair, etc... It is so exciting for me to watch her come to life. When I was young I would draw Mother Nature girls all the time. I still have some of those old paintings.

You are known to contribute to the local community of Fresno through your arts. Can you share us several instances where you used your art to help several causes in Fresno?

I feel like giving my art is the best way for me to raise awareness and funds for causes in Fresno and I do this whenever I get the chance. Besides donating to The Pink Show, I recently donated a painting to the United By Art Show at Gorgon Isle Gallery, which benefited Autism research. Last year I had donated some paintings to an SPCA benefit art show. I've also donated to several school and church silent auction fundraisers.

You donated a truly wonderful artwork for an event in the Tower Theater. Can you describe your artwork and your inspiration for creating it?

The painting was going to be auctioned at The Pink Show Benefit Concert as well as used for some promotional purposes. I knew it had to be eye-catching and get the point across to the viewers. After several discussions with Cynthia Manuszak, the creator of The Pink Show...I had a general idea of what It would look like.

I wanted to incorporate the Tower Theatre as well as a group of women who could represent us all. Some who appear to be going through cancer treatments, some who have recovered and some who may be a family member affected by cancer. It was a challenging painting for me, but I was so happy with the finished product.

What made you decide to donate it for auction?

I really wanted to donate to the Me-One Foundation; it is such a worthy cause. I did not have much money to give, so instead I gave my time and my art which helped to raise $200.

Where do you see yourself and your artwork 10 years from now?

I see myself having my credentials and masters to teach art in college, also hopefully HAVE a job teaching painting. I hope to have a solo show somewhere in San Francisco or Los Angeles. I can't wait to see what lies ahead!

As of now, she’s not taking on any shows; she’s focusing on creating portraits of 100 girls for her 2010 project, which will be displayed at Studio 74 along with artworks of Rattananan Moerdyk. The opening reception will be ArtHop June 2, 2011. Stephanie’s really looking forward to it, and she’s inviting you to come along and have some fun with her.

You can also see some of her artworks as well as interact with her in the following websites:

FresnoArts.net
Redbubble.com

Donna Paulino covers most of the topic for the Fresno Interactive Network, including interviews, profiles, and articles that inspire our readers about our local community. She is the social media manager and web producer for Socient, a Fresno web marketing agency that helps non-profit and community benefit organizations thrive with social media marketing, search engine optimization, and web design.

Follow her on Twitter:  @donnapaulino

(0) Comments | (0) Trackback | Permalink