Stephanie Peters

Years ago, well not that many years ago, we took a friend visiting from out of state to the Grand Canyon. Like most people who live in Arizona, at some point you realize you only go to the Grand Canyon when someone is visiting from out of state and when you are there, you wonder why you don’t go more often.

Anyway, it was on one of those trips that I saw a yellow-headed blackbird for the first time. I wish I could say I saw this bird hanging out on the edge of a Juniper tree, creating the perfect composition, but that’s not the case. Instead, my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these beautiful birds was in a gas station parking lot because the tire pressure light came on as we left the park and we had to evaluate our chances of getting a flat on our drive back down the mountain. Spoiler alert, we didn’t get a flat, but we did get to see a flock of yellow-headed blackbirds. I was captivated by their vivid yellow heads. It was a bright spot to see in an otherwise troubling moment.

These birds typically breed from Utah up into Alberta, and then migrate far south into central Mexico. When I saw them near the Grand Canyon, they were on their way migrating north after most likely spending their winter in Mexico. And since then, I have never seen one again. Though, if you look at their range, it seems like they can be found all over west of the Mississippi in wetland areas and they migrate in large flocks. Apparently, I need to hangout in marshy areas more often...

But somewhere out there is the best place to see yellow-headed blackbirds, and I doubt it’s in a parking lot. But wherever it is, I bet these birds are still a little bright spot of joy.  And this is why I call this one – number 6 in this series - “A Bright Spot.”

Happy New Year! With a year like 2020, I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the fresh start that this little day offers us. A fresh, shiny new year that has the potential to be filled with joy, excitement, and lots and lots of good to cancel out all of last year’s hurdles and loss.

I’m really looking forward to good days ahead and productive periods of creating art I’m excited about. And what better way to start the year artistically than to sit in the studio/gallery and create something that makes me smile? If the year starts off with a smile, maybe it’ll be significantly better than last year, at least one can hope. So, for the first work of 2021, I present a red squirrel in pastel.

May your 2021 be full of whatever makes you smile.

​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… 

May 16th is Drawing day – which may have originated as National Drawing Day somewhere but has been adopted as just “Drawing Day” across social media. This day could celebrate the act of drawing or the art of drawing. But drawing is a funny word.

Ultimately, the definition of what a drawing is doesn't matter. At the end of the day, whether it's a drawing or a painting, it is still a work of art. And as a work of art, it is an opportunity to experience magic - for the viewer when seen or for the artist when created. 

Thankfully a day like Drawing Day or National Drawing Day is a way to single out drawing and give it the appreciation it deserves, even if the definition is a little fuzzy. So whether you create a pure drawing today or appreciate a drawing masterpiece, celebrate Drawing Day and the incredible, beautiful ideas that come out of our imagination and onto a piece of paper or some kind of surface. An act we've been doing for oh I don't know, the last 36,000 years or so. ​

​This painting was inspired by the sunsets we would see in the evenings over Coffee Pot, in Sedona, Arizona, during Slide Fire, in 2014.
 
Thankfully where we were living was not physically affected by Slide fire, but we were still impacted by it. From experiencing the smoke to the way our communities came together to support those who were physically impacted – we were reminded that we were all in this together, much like today with Covid-19.

If you are lucky to not physically experience coronavirus firsthand, you will still be experiencing it with empathy and compassion towards others by staying home and washing your hands. Arizona has phased into reopening, much like the rest of the country has or will but that does not mean we are healed or no longer vulnerable. Where I am today, the cases are increasing daily with no sign of decreasing. It’s important to do what you can to stop this pandemic – this never ending natural disaster. Viruses spread rapidly like wildfires but it’s our job to do what we can to prevent how many victims there are. Just like you would put out a campfire completely to prevent fires (or maybe not even start a camp fire because of fire restrictions), wear a mask and wash your hands to do your part from a continuous rapid spread of coronavirus.
 
One day the flames of coronavirus will be put out completely, but we’ll be left with the scars and burns, like what was left after Slide Fire along 89A towards Flagstaff - the burned trees you can still see today. 

Slide Fire Sky (smoke) is part of a series called Flames to Ashes, inspired by wildfires, that I’ve added new work to recently.

Over the summer, I painted a mural on the recreation center, in Elliston, Newfoundland, Canada. While I was there for other reasons, the recreation committee asked if I could paint a 115ft long mural on their building and I couldn't say no to that challenge.

The wall is facing a community park they had recently improved and they thought a mural would be a nice addition. They requested that the mural be community friendly and colorful but I was free to paint what I wanted. (Of course my sketches were approved by their committee before I began.) 

I wanted to make a mural that related to their community, and their history. Elliston is located on one of the northern peninsulas of Newfoundland, and historically it was a big  fishing community. Like most of Newfoundland, after the cod industry was eliminated in the 90's, Elliston struggled to stay alive. But 20 something years later, after the community got together to promote tourism, Elliston is a tourist destination known as the Root Cellar Capital of the world, with a strong tight knit community at the core of it. It is an incredible place to watch whales, see icebergs, and plenty of sea birds (puffins, gannets, and razorbills included!) Thousands of tourists visit Elliston for their location, natural features, and even for their festivals like the Puffin Festival, and Roots, Rants and Roars - a fall event that brings chefs from all over the world to Elliston. 

With all of this inspiration to work with, it was easy to come up with a composition that highlights what Elliston is proud of: their relationship with the sea. So I drew up a composition that started with Puffins flying off an island and then flowing into the life at sea. I included a variety of sea birds (Northern Gannets, Herring Gulls, Kittiwakes, Black-back gulls, Razorbills, Double crested cormorant, Black guillemots, and Atlantic Puffins,) a fin whale, a humpback whale breaching, a humpback with calf, a minke whale, a school of cod, a school of sculpin, a gray seal, a crab, lobsters, squid, capelin, an iceberg, seaweed and a root cellar - to highlight all that is Elliston. 

The mural took ten days to paint, and thankfully, a few community members came by to help during the ten days.

Here is the finished mural:  

And a gallery timeline of the project:

And so after 10 days of painting, the mural was complete...

I have painted murals before, but this was my biggest mural to date. I really enjoyed painting it, but what I enjoyed the most about this project was the enthusiasm from the community. This mural is theirs. Some of them painted it, but many followed the progress along on Facebook or stopped by to say hi while I was painting. I wanted to make something that they will smile at when they see it, something that brought a little color to their world, and most importantly, adds a little joy to their everyday. 

I was so lucky to have this opportunity and I cannot thank the Town of Elliston enough for giving me the opportunity  - and I'll never be able to thank those who helped enough.  

If you ever find yourself in Elliston, Newfoundland. Take a look at the mural, it's across the street from the Home from the Sea Sealing Memorial Interpretive Center. 

The annual Puffin Festival celebrates the puffins, root cellars, and various other cultural gems found in Elliston. During our summer stay here in Elliston, we met some of the people who run the festival and they asked us if we had any ideas for this year's festival. Since I'm a big fan of public art and getting people outdoors, I suggested a puffin scavenger hunt of sorts. We could create large painted wood puffins and put them around town for people to find. And people could take pictures with them if they wanted to. 

Thankfully they liked my idea, so I came up with 6 different puffin designs and created templates for them to be cut out of wood. Once they were cut out, Neil and I primed them, then we painted various designs on the puffins. 

Most of the designs were of course inspired by Newfoundland and well puffins. After they dried, they were installed around town. Here is each puffin, and where it was placed: 

These puffins have been up around town since the Festival and I hope they make an appearance every year. But if they do or don't, at least they brought a little goofy fun to the town for a weekend :) 

Along with my exhibit, Spirits of the Forest, Tannery Pond Community Center invited me to do a 10 day artist residency, sponsored by Garnet Studio.

For the residency, I was to paint on location all over North Creek, which meant I would set up daily at a restaurant, library, cafe, etc. and create some art.

North Creek is located in the southern Adirondacks on the edge of the Hudson River. The town is known for white water rafting, skiing and hiking. Throughout my residency, I had a chance to meet many of the residents, and explore the river. Here are a few photos from my experience:

January 15th 2018 was a free national park day, and for nature enthusiasts like ourselves, Neil and I felt like it was the perfect day to explore Joshua Tree National Park. I had never been, and wasn't even sure what a Joshua Tree was, but I've heard great things about the open space and colors. So we needed to see for ourselves...

You can encounter a raven every day, and it's still a magical experience. 

Joshua Tree National Park is located right outside Palm Springs, California. It is where two deserts merge together, the Mohave and the Colorado. It is open all year, and the visitor center has some great information about where to hike, camp or drive. It is definitely worth a trip if you are in the neighborhood. 

With their bright red bumpy heads and black and white feathers, that have highlights of green and turquoise in the sun, these ducks are something to look at. Quirky but beautiful. Muscovy ducks originate from South America and are a tropical bird. The ones found at Papago Park, and in most backyards or parks across the USA are a domestic version that has its origins in the pre-Colombian period. The true Muscovy duck is all black with a little bit of white on their wings. I've never had the opportunity to see them in the wild but I think it's pretty cool to be able to go down the street to a local park, and at least see these fun looking birds sleeping in the afternoon Phoenix sun.
Recently, I've been inspired by my encounters with wildlife that thrives in unusually urban environments. Invasive or native, our ecosystems are complicated and filled with a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, bugs and more that somehow balance with 'man.' And some, thrive. Like this domestic Muscovy duck seems to at Papago Park.