Stephanie Peters

Last Saturday, I spent the afternoon painting at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. It is an amazing place to see all kinds of desert plants, but unfortunately I can't tell you what kinds of plants, because I wasn't paying any attention to the plants. Although I find flowers pretty, plants aren't really my thing - I'm sure my botanist Grandfather is rolling in his grave hearing that - But, animals - animals are my thing. And the Desert Botanical Garden is a great place to see some native desert animals.. like the Round Tailed Ground Squirrel, or the Harris Antelope Squirrel... 

​...and a great place to see native birds like the Gambel's Quail, Roadrunner, and even some non-native birds like the house sparrow. 

Painting animals from life is not exactly easy, because they never stand still. It is recommended you learn a bit about the anatomy and movement of your subject before you enter the field - and way before adding water, paint and a brush. I am no expert at painting animals from life, but I have been practicing a lot recently. My practice method is not drawing the animal in detail, but instead capturing their gestures in watercolor. With gesture painting (same principles as gesture drawing in learning how to draw the figure), you can get a better understanding of the creature's movement - which ultimately helps me when I'm in the studio painting from photographs. 
So last Saturday, I was doing some gesture painting of Quail, House Sparrows and my favorite this week, the Harris Antelope Squirrel. Now, because the animal moves... and really doesn't stop moving... ever... with watercolor gesture painting, you get blobs of paint that kind of resemble a distorted road-kill version of the really adorable creature you are trying desperately to paint... 

But sometimes, you can get some really interesting results. And those blobs and layers of watercolor paint can catch the essence, the life, the energy of that really adorable creature you are painting...

Then, make them available as prints on products of course... 

Just another fun way of merging technology and art: The traditional into the digital. 

I think the best thing about gesture painting is that it keeps you loose. When painting from photographs, I tend to get too technical and focus on all the details. Which can be interesting if you are trying to render a subject accurately and realistically. But, I prefer to paint abstractly - I love how abstract marks can add an energy that sometimes gets lost in 2D art. So when you are out in the 'field,' this method really enhances the movement and I feel it brings the soul of the subject to life.  More gesture painting to come as warm spring days invite me outdoors. 

My mind wanders a lot. It's no surprise then that I'm working on a dozen different ideas at the same time, inspired by everything and everywhere my mind goes. It seems like my focus changes daily - yesterday I was working on an abstract painting inspired by melting sea ice, today I'm drawing sea turtles and raccoon butterfly fish... tomorrow might be all about abstract colorful bird paintings. It's always different and I embrace that.

But sometimes a subject sticks with me for awhile. Sea Turtles seem to be one of those kinds of inspirations that lingers for long periods of time. In addition to their color and form, I just find them so fascinating: How they return to the same beach they were born to lay eggs, despite swimming thousands of miles away... how they can't actually retreat into their shells like land turtles, but still have the same overall shape. And how they have been swimming in the world's oceans for over 100 million years, continuously providing a critical part of the marine ecosystem.  There is a beautiful mystery that surrounds them as they glide freely through the water. 

So tonight, I created a new graphic inspired by the endangered green sea turtle swimming among a school of raccoon butterflyfish: 

This watercolor painting turned graphic was inspired by wild red poppies I have recently encountered in the fields of Austria! I am spending Summer 2016 in Europe for a few different opportunities.  And I couldn't resist these beautiful poppies we keep seeing on our walks. They look so happy and cheerful.

However, the Red Poppy is not symbolically cheerful. It is used in Great Britain and America as a symbol of remembrance for soldiers who have died during wartime. Which makes it appropriate to see as I travel through Austria and Germany, two countries that have seen their share of blood in recent history.   In many of the towns we have explored, we have seen WWI and WWII memorials reminding tourists and citizens alike the history the area has experienced, right under our feet.

It's interesting to walk these streets and think that 75+ years ago, there was a different daily story being told. Perhaps the poppy can remind us that life was lost for love to survive. And now, that love grows wild in the fields or on the sidewalks, freely.

This graphic gives form to the idea that love is growing wild as poppies. And now it's available to bring love into your world too.

I'm a big fan of tropical fish. Their patterns and colors are incredible, and, the coral reefs they call home are just amazing. I also find their shapes quite compelling too. These 'flat' creatures have the perfect structure to glide easily through water. Perhaps, this is how fish see us maneuver with grace on land  - but I'm still always in awe when I see fish (or any sea creature) move like they are dancing along with the pressure of water. My fascination with fish swimming may have to do with the fact that I can't really swim, and am quite terrified of deep water. But, I still love fish, and pretty much all sea creatures. Fear does not stop me from admiring the world under the sea, and drawing them when I can.. 

It does give me a whole new idea of making tropical fish patterns - or sea creature patterns, which I'm really excited about. So I'm off to doodle sea creatures (probably jellyfish) to come up with new patterns to decorate with... The moment right before you begin a big project, where you are filled with excitement and inspiration -- It's this kind of moment worth living for - the energy that fuels the artist.

If I have to define myself to one word, I call myself a painter; a player in the traditional medium avenue, but far far from a photographer... but I do like taking pictures. And usually, those pictures look something like this:

A moment that can only be captured and recorded in that second with a camera. Any other medium would not tell the same story so well.. so that's why I like taking pictures -- to record split seconds like this that are beautiful and naked to the eye.

However, I just don't take random abstract pictures --- I also take lots of random pictures of landscapes, animals, insects, fish, flowers -- you know like any other instagram user.

So since I like to share these pictures all over social media... some people have asked if they could get prints of my photographs (well, my mom asked...)
And so I've secretly been on a mission to find an affordable but reasonable way to have my photographs printed
​so my mom can have one of my photos on her wall.

A lot of these print on demand (P.O.D.) websites only offer 10-20% commission to the artists, or ask artists to pay a fee to put their designs on the P.O.D. website. Or they allow anyone to use your design in anyway they want. Every business needs to make money, so their way makes sense for their business. But as an artist, you start to wonder if you are giving them more than you are receiving in commission. ​And then, the quality of products from most P.O.D. websites are not very good. 
(Except for SaatchiArt, they produce great giclees and other art prints.)

Society6.com seems different. They offer a range of art prints, on simple paper to gallery wrap canvas. And you can get your art on all sorts of products like pillows and blankets! Who doesn't want to curl up with an original work of art? And they let the artist choose how it looks and what they want on it.
​ So I got all excited, and started my own little Society6 shop.

More photographs will eventually be available for print, including the ones my mom likes.