Stephanie Peters

  • Home
  • About
    • Biography
    • Stories
    • Events/Exhibits
  • New
    • Extinct Wild
    • Colorful Wildlife Encounters
    • Migration - Circle Bird Paintings
    • Urban Wildlife
    • Life on the Rock
    • Icebergs
    • Spirits of the Forest
  • Natural Disasters
    • Natural Disasters
    • Volcano paintings
    • Wildfires
    • Extreme Weather: Storms, Tornadoes, Hurricanes & Lightning
  • Wildlife Pastels
    • Life on the Rock
    • Adirondacks
    • Africa
    • Arizona Desert
    • Aquatic life
    • Birds
  • Paintings
    • Series >
      • Migration - Circle Bird Paintings
      • Flying Color - Bird Paintings
      • Ocean Life
      • River Fish
      • Wildlife Paintings
      • Abstract
      • Illustrating Literature
      • The Energy of White
      • Abstract Landscapes
    • Printmaking >
      • New prints
      • Stamps
  • Buy Art
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Biography
    • Stories
    • Events/Exhibits
  • New
    • Extinct Wild
    • Colorful Wildlife Encounters
    • Migration - Circle Bird Paintings
    • Urban Wildlife
    • Life on the Rock
    • Icebergs
    • Spirits of the Forest
  • Natural Disasters
    • Natural Disasters
    • Volcano paintings
    • Wildfires
    • Extreme Weather: Storms, Tornadoes, Hurricanes & Lightning
  • Wildlife Pastels
    • Life on the Rock
    • Adirondacks
    • Africa
    • Arizona Desert
    • Aquatic life
    • Birds
  • Paintings
    • Series >
      • Migration - Circle Bird Paintings
      • Flying Color - Bird Paintings
      • Ocean Life
      • River Fish
      • Wildlife Paintings
      • Abstract
      • Illustrating Literature
      • The Energy of White
      • Abstract Landscapes
    • Printmaking >
      • New prints
      • Stamps
  • Buy Art
  • Contact

-Stories from the road-

Adventures, notes of inspiration, daily experiences, trips to nowhere and then somewhere, works in progress, creative discoveries, new work, tools of the trade, news from the studio, event updates, and things that make me smile or think deep thoughts...

A little Mural joy in Iowa

10/30/2021

0 Comments

 
Recently, I was commissioned to paint a mural on an outdoor addition that was blocking a beautiful Iowa scene. The owner wanted to recapture her lost Iowa view in the mural, but was interested in my artistic interpretation. Because art does not necessarily have to mimic what’s there, I took the chance to expand her scene by adding a few things that brought back positive memories for her and added a little joy to her view. 

In pictures, here's the journey of the painting process... 

Before

Before Mural Painting
Before Mural Painting
Before Mural Painting

Stages

Final...

Iowa Mural
10 feet tall by 15.5 feet wide.
Mural Painting
0 Comments

New Painting: Summer Fragrant

5/3/2021

0 Comments

 
I find the song of a red-winged blackbird comforting. It's the soundtrack of spring for sure. But depending on where you are, these birds could be companions all year round. ​
Picture
Red-winged blackbirds are found all across North America - except for in the arctic tip of Canada. In most of the places I've lived, they have always been one of those birds you can count on seeing when hiking - at least if you are near water. From the bogs of the Adirondacks, to the water-treatment areas in Phoenix, you can see the flashy black male and the patterned brown female. I'm always surprised to see how different the female looks, even though I've seen the couple so many times. 
red-winged blackbird
Red-winged blackbird male in the adirondacks
redwinged blackbird female
Female red-winged blackbird
Picture
Because I've seen them so many times, and in so many places, I have tons of sketches and photographs of these birds sitting on things like cattails, branches, up in trees, bushes, etc. 

But it wasn't until I saw this red-winged blackbird precariously sitting on an echinacea flower that I found the composition I wanted. 

Picture
I spotted this bird sitting on this flower in the middle of a field of wildflowers tucked in between cornfields, in Iowa. Usually what inspires me to make a painting is the creature itself - whether it's a bird or a muskrat - I'm drawn to the experience I'm having of this particular creature in front of me.

But in this case, it was the red-winged blackbird's experience of the flower that I found interesting. I'd never seen them on a cone flower, and it was interesting to see how it hung on as the wind blew it back and forth. Like most of the times when you encounter a red-winged blackbird, they are more focused on what they are doing rather than what you are doing. Despite your presence, they will continue their songs or continue to hunt for worms. And I think that's what I loved about this moment, it didn't seem tainted by human activity, it was blissfully nature. 
red-winged blackbird
Just the latest from my migrating bird series: Summer Fragrant - Red-winged blackbird, 6" Mixed media on canvas.
0 Comments

New Painting: Salad for Dinner

3/21/2021

0 Comments

 
A few weeks ago when the ice on lake Icaria was melting, hundreds of geese and ducks were migrating through this little edge of Iowa.
canada geese flying
Picture
migrating ducks swimming
Though we mostly saw Canada geese and cackling geese, we also saw greater white-fronted geese (lifer!), wood ducks, canvas backs, ring-necked ducks, greater scaup (lifer!), lesser scaup (another lifer!), red-headed ducks, coots, pied-billed grebes, northern shovelers, mallards, common mergansers, american wigeon, green-winged teal, northern pintail, snow geese, ross's geese (and another lifer!), trumpeter swans, common golden-eye, hooded merganser, bufflehead and this strange looking bird... 
muskrat on lake icaria

which I know, I know, isn't a bird... but he is the cutest muskrat ever...

Now I love birds, most of my travels surround birds, and many, many, of my paintings, are bird inspired... but I have a very soft spot for little mammals - Squirrels, rabbits, otters, beavers, and even muskrats. So of course, this muskrat became my new favorite model over the next few weeks as we watched the birds arrive each evening on the lake.

We did of course take thousands and thousands of photos of birds for future inspiration, but I was a little distracted...
muskrat icaria lake
muskrat swimming
muskrat on ice
muskrat in iowa
muskrat eating
Which of course led to sketching the adorable fur ball...
muskrat sketches
muskrat sketch
muskrat on ice sketch

and all those sketches, led to a new pastel:

muskrat pastel painting
Salad for dinner, pastel, 13x18" More details
The ice is gone now (hello spring!!) So we haven't seen our muskrat friend around recently. And at the same time, our migrating waterfowl have moved on to the next stop on their journey to their breeding grounds. Lake Icaria is a little quieter now. But I'm still looking for our muskrat friend, because though there may be no ice to eat salad on, he'll be hanging around with us through the spring - which probably means more muskrat art to come!
muskrat on lake icaria in iowa
0 Comments

Winter Evening

2/20/2021

0 Comments

 
This winter has been perfect for hibernating. The highs have been in the negative numbers and it seems like every day it snows. So I’m pretty convinced every Iowan is secretly a bear because I’m not sure how else they survive winter every year without hibernating. Most days, I’m hiding inside wearing fuzzy socks and oversized comfy sweaters, and dreaming of sunshine… But some evenings when its above zero and not snowing, it is the perfect time to go find some geese – like tonight! These little sunshine moments make spending the winter in the arctic worth it…  

It’s still way too cold to actually draw anything outside, but Neil and I find ways to huddle in the car and sketch with our binoculars while sipping hot coffee. Tonight was no different… we watched hundreds of geese land on lake Icaria, and photographed and sketched a few:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
All the geese we have seen at Lake Icaria this winter have been Canada geese. Tonight, we also saw seven trumpeter swans and a couple dozen mallards but mostly, it was hundreds of Canada geese flying in and it's quite a sight! Something to look forward to in in this otherwise cold and gray season. But, the temperatures are finally rising (into the 30s!), and the days are getting longer, which only means spring migration is coming soon and we'll see more than just geese... and of course all of these migrating birds - Canada geese included - are fueling my migrating bird fascination...
0 Comments

New Pastel: Cherish - Elk & calf

2/10/2021

0 Comments

 
Last summer, before we came to Corning, Neil and I camped around western Iowa – I know, maybe a bad idea during a pandemic, but we were safe and stuck to only our camper to avoid any contact. One of the places we camped was Botna Bend Park in Hancock, Iowa.
Botna bend park river
East Nishnabotna River
Located right next to a grain silo, Botna Bend Park is a little spot of inspiration in an otherwise non-descript ordinary rural town. Not only is the campsite right next to the West Branch East Nishnabotna River (which apparently flooded extensively in 2019) but it is home to a herd of Bison and a herd of Elk.  One of the highlights of our visit there was when we first arrived, we witnessed the first few days of an elk calf’s life. Though very late in the breeding season, we watched how the newborn calf stayed isolated from the rest of the herd during the day and then watched it start to assimilate with the group when it was ready – which occurs around 10 – 14 days.
Elk and calf
Typically, in the wild, elks give birth in the spring, but I imagine with the elk enclosed and fed well, their natural mating and birthing cycle is skewed – which could explain why we were lucky to see their interaction so late in the summer.
elk herd
elk newborn
Each morning and evening, we would go out and watch the calf and mother interact. And of course, that is where the moment that inspired this pastel came from. Though I could have been anthropomorphizing the mother elk a bit, I could see how she cared for and cherished her newborn. It was an extraordinary moment to be a part of in an otherwise ordinary little town in Iowa. Though everything is extraordinary if you really stop and observe.
Elk painting
Cherish, 15x17, Pastel
0 Comments

Welcome to Corning...

9/7/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Welcome to Corning, Iowa. A small town with a vibrant arts center, and my new studio/residence for the next few months.
 
As of late last week, Neil and I are artists-in-residence at the Center for the Arts in Corning. We each have a studio space and some of our art up on the walls. We are hoping to spend some time over the next few months creating new work, meeting a new community, and learning what it’s like living within the “corn belt” of America. Or also known as the fly over region. We can already tell you that there is so much more to this region then corn and soybeans. And if you have never spent time in the Midwest; I hope after a few months of me sharing all the beauty overlooked here, you’ll consider the Midwest for your next adventure. Of course, after coronavirus goes away – stay healthy and please wear a mask and wash your hands… 
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

      Join my newsletter for the latest news

    Subscribe

    Archives

    January 2023
    September 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    September 2020
    May 2020
    September 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    January 2018
    October 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    August 2014
    July 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    All photography - unless otherwise noted - is taken by me. If you love a photo, that's great but please don't steal it. Feel free to inquire about purchasing a print, crediting me if you want to use it on a website, facebook, etc, or you can even buy a digital copy to use how you please. 

    See what I'm saying on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram:

    twitter
    facebook
    instagram

    Categories

    All
    Adirondacks
    Advice From The Studio
    All About Me
    Animal
    Arizona
    Art Festival
    Artist In Residence
    Artist Thoughts
    AZ Artisans Collective
    Bird
    Bison
    Charcoal
    Charcoal Drawings
    Commission
    Common Loon
    Corning
    Cottonwood
    Desert
    Desert Botanical Garden
    Desert Cottontail
    Drawing
    Drawing From Life
    Drawings
    Drought
    Elk
    Event
    Exhibit
    Explore
    Explore Your City
    Fish Paintings
    Flagstaff
    Flowers
    Flying Color
    Gallery
    Grand Canyon
    Graphics
    Graphite
    Grotto Gallery
    Harris Antelope Squirrel
    Hiking
    House Sparrow
    Hummingbird
    Illustration
    Iowa
    Jellyfish
    Joshua Tree
    Kelp Paintings
    Lake Powell
    #lifeofanartist
    Lightning
    Magnet
    Migrating Series
    Migration
    Mural
    Muskrat
    Natural Disasters
    Newfoundland
    New Work
    Ocean Life
    Oil Pastel
    Otter
    Painting
    Paintings
    Pastel Drawing
    Pastel Painting
    Patterns
    Phoenix
    Photography
    Plein Aire
    Politics
    Press
    Print On Demand
    Public Art
    Raven
    Razorbill
    Round-tailed Ground Squirrel
    Sandhill Crane
    Scottsdale
    Sea Turtle
    Sedona
    Soft Pastel
    Spoonbill
    Storms
    Students
    Studio
    Studiotime
    THE MANHEIM GALLEY
    Tornado
    Travel
    Traveling Artists
    Tropical Fish
    Uncommon Markets
    Urban Wildlife
    Volcano Paintings
    Watercolor
    Watercolor Wash
    Wildfire Paintings
    Wildfires
    Wildlife
    Wildlife Drawings
    Work In Progress

    RSS Feed

Stephanie Peters Artist
About 
New Work
Events 
Store
Store FAQ
Commissions


Natural Disaster Art 
Contact
Blog

​All content and images copyright © 2011-2022 Stephanie Peters.
All Rights Reserved. ​Privacy Policy