Stephanie Peters

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  • Home
  • About
    • Biography
    • Stories
    • Events/Exhibits
  • New
    • 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...

Tannery Pond Community Center Artist Residency

4/25/2019

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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:
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Joshua Tree National Park

1/17/2018

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When the day is free, and the winter chill is no where to be seen, the best place to be is somewhere in nature. 

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...
For the most part, it looked like this.... (look at that blue sky!)
joshua tree national park
But there were tons and tons of rocks to climb... 
stephanie peters
To get great views like this.... 
joshua tree national park
And there were so many Joshua Trees...
joshua tree
This is a Joshua Tree
Joshua Trees are actually not trees, they are a type of Yucca, and a part of the agave plant family. They are the largest Yuccas, reaching a height of 15 to 40 feet. That's just tall... 
stephanie at a tree
Super tall...
While we were there to see the Joshua trees... we got a little distracted... 
raven & joshua tree
...a raven!
flying raven
by Ravens flying to Joshua tree tops... 
You can encounter a raven every day, and it's still a magical experience. 
Though it wasn't just Ravens that caught our attention... Jackrabbits were around too!
jackrabbit
And we also got up close and personal with a Cactus wren... 
cactus wren
Or maybe two...
cactus wrens
While we were more interested in the birds and wildlife - the landscape is something not to overlook... 
joshua tree national park view
It's the perfect playground...
joshua tree national park
walrus rock
neil
joshua tree national park
or it might be the perfect place to do your next men's clothing photo shoot
joshua tree national park
joshua tree national park
Joshua Tree National Park is split into two sides, a north and a south. We primarily stayed on the north side where the Joshua Trees were. But the south side is still quite beautiful, littered with Cholla Cacti.  
cholla cactus
We spent the entire time playing rather than doing any plein-air drawing or sketching. But I did manage to create an oil pastel sketch of Joshua Tree National Park, for my daily drawing.
joshua tree national park
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. 
joshua tree national park evening
Photos were taken by Neil Rizos and myself. 
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Drawing Muscovy Ducks at Papago Park

10/29/2017

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When I was a kid, my uncle had a Muscovy duck. I think his name was Phillip.

Muscovy duck
This is not the real Phillip... this duck lives at Papago Park in Phoenix

Every time I see these ducks at Papago Park in Phoenix,
​I like to think they are all named Phillip too.

Muscovy duck phoenix
Another fake Phillip living at Papago Park

This weekend, I spent some time drawing these characters from life.

Drawing birds from life
Muscovy duck pastel
Muscovy duck drawing
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.
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Grotto Gallery at AZ Artisans Collective

10/1/2017

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​Escape the Madness

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“Escape the Madness” and immerse your senses in an intimate colorful and playful space  --  surround yourself with beauty and art.  

Escape the Madness is the inaugural exhibit of Grotto Gallery, a new exhibition space in downtown Tempe, Arizona, hosted by Arizona Artisans Collective.  Arizona Artisans Collective is an organizing offering business classes and workshops to help artists grow their businesses. 
Escape the Madness features 10 emerging artists from Arizona, including myself. The theme of the exhibit encourages people to escape the madness of the every day, and enjoy some art. I pleased to have 9 of my new wildlife drawings as part of the exhibit. Grotto Gallery is located at 132 E. Sixth Street, in downtown Tempe. 
The exhibit will be on display from October 5th to January 12th, 2018. 
Learn more about the gallery
See my work at Grotto Gallery
Learn more about AZ Artisans Collective
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Nature through the Artist's Eye: Cactus Wren*dition, Fall 2017

8/30/2017

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Nature Through the Artist's Eye: Stephanie Peters

Article published in the Fall 2017 Issue of the Maricopa County's Audubon publication, Cactus Wren*dition
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"M​ixed media artist Stephanie Peters has found inspiration in the natural world since childhood. Growing up on a horse farm outside Baltimore, Maryland gave her the perfect foundation to become a full-time artist inspired by animals. She’s still working on that - somewhere along the way she got distracted by the majestic beauty and destructive forces of natural cataclysms. In her studio in Arizona, she creates mixed media paintings and drawings inspired by recent natural catastrophic events and their role in the ecosystem.

Her relationship with natural disasters began in 2004 after the powerful earthquake and tsunami hit Indonesia. After hearing the news, she wondered how she could help heal those directly affected by the devastation. Over the next ten years, she would witness and experience natural disasters personally, giving her the inspiration to seek answers to her question in a series of abstract paintings that symbolized healing. 

Her original series deliberately did not discuss the science of natural disasters; however, she couldn’t ignore the positive and negative impacts disasters have on their environment. Focusing on wildfire, a natural event that is part of the backdrop of her life in Arizona, Peters examined the important role of forest fires in the life cycle of plants and animals. This generated a new series of paintings and drawings that look at the forest both during and after a fire.
​
Peters acknowledges that disasters, besides being brutal and surreal, can also be breathtaking and astonishing. “When an avalanche falls, or a meteor shoots through the sky, it’s hard not to see beauty,” she says. For that reason, her work reflects the aesthetic dimension of these complex events. Recently, in addition to wildfires, she has also begun to explore the impact of severe weather and volcanoes on the environment.

When she is not chasing a natural disaster, she travels to interesting places seeking experiences that inspire her, like hiking among Desert Bighorn sheep in Zion National Park, or watching flamingos in the Camargue region of France. These experiences inspire her to create intimate portraits of animals in soft pastel, abstract interpretations in her paintings, or illustrations for digital art – on her journey as a wildlife artist."
flames painting
Roaring Flame Mixed media on canvas, 20”x16”
An abstract painting that brings you inside the flames of a burning forest. This painting uses charcoal pulled from recent burned forests.
kirtland warbler
Kirtland’s Warbler Soft pastel on paper, 8”x12”
This drawing of a Kirtland’s Warbler reflects the life that exists because of wildfires. Also known as Jack Pine Warblers, these little birds are dependent on wildfires to provide the small trees and open areas that meet their rigid habitat requirements for nesting. They were almost forced to extinction when forest fires were suppressed, but now they are on their way to recovery as scientists and wildfire mitigation experts find ways to control burns and live with natural occurring wildfires.
wildfire painting
Burned Scape Mixed media on canvas, 16”x20”
Burned Scape is inspired by the regrowth of a burned forest, that occurs right after a forest fire. The landscape and trees in this painting were inspired by, and created using charcoal collected from a recent burned forest near Tucson.
Black backed woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker Soft pastel and charcoal on paper, 16”x12”
Black-backed Woodpeckers typically live off beetles that feed on burned trees after a wildfire. The woodpecker, the beetle, and the burned tree are all elements of a perfectly balanced ecosystem that thrives off forest fires.
Squirrel drawing
Mount Graham Red Squirrel Soft pastel and charcoal on paper, 9”x12”
The Mount Graham Red Squirrel is native to and only found in higher elevations of southern Arizona’s Pinaleño mountains. Forest fires threaten its habitat, and along with drought and insect infestation, have helped push this squirrel to the edge of extinction.
Slide Fire Smoke Painting
Slide Fire Sky (Smoke) Acrylic on canvas, 20”x24”
This illustrates the majestic beauty of a smoky sunset near a forest fire. Although wildfires are dangerous and feared, it is hard to ignore their beauty, and not appreciate how they can transform the evening sky. This painting was inspired by the sunsets I saw in Sedona over Coffee Pot Rock, during the 2014 Slide Fire. That fire ended up burning over 20,000 acres in and near Oak Creek Canyon.
See the full Wild Fire collection
Wildfire paintings for sale
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Desert Wildlife

8/29/2017

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Desert Wildlife 

I live in the desert. It's hot, dry, and always sunny. It's known for scorpions and prickly cactus. But it's also known for some pretty cool animals and birds...

javalina
Javalina
Quail
Gambel 's Quail

Lately, I've been taking notice,
​and getting inspired by the visitors in my backyard...

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Mourning Dove
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Desert Cottontail

And with a little color...

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​I'm sharing their personalities on paper. 

ground squirrel
Round tailed ground squirrel
blue bunny
Blue Bunny (Desert Cottontail)
jackrabbit
The Great Hare (Jackrabbit)
cactus wren
Cactus Wren
coyote
Coyote
roadrunner
Roadrunner

From coyotes to roadrunners, and the curious cottontail I've named Cosmo, Arizona is far from a dry, desolate desert filled with things that hurt you... 

Although, we do have rattlesnakes... ​

I'm excited to see and share where this collection goes... and looking forward to who stops by next!
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Tonto National Forest

5/31/2017

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There's a big area on the north-eastern side of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area that looks like this:

​The green doesn't really accurately show the beauty of the area...
​Let me try this...

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​Or this...

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It's called the Tonto National Forest

The area is almost 3 million acres wide, making it the largest national forest area in Arizona, and the fifth largest in the country. It's a big area of desert landscape! It has three lakes, miles of cacti, and some legends of the Lost Dutchman and his gold. I didn't really explore the history of the area - but I did get to explore flora...
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Well, actually, it seems like I explored the area just for this particular flower:
the Agave chrysantha
​also known as the Goldenflower Century Plant

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Something about the orange gold just caught my eye. The Tonto National Forest is another hidden gem found in Arizona. What I love about Arizona is the incredible diversity of regions it offers. It is hot and dry in Phoenix during the summer. But drive a few hours north and you are in a completely different habitat that's cooler and filled with Ponderosa pines. A lot of that has to do with a change in elevation and geology.

It's not just a desert out here in Arizona - it's a state that has a lot to offer and fuel for inspiration for new work. The desert is so beautiful this time of year, maybe I'll do a little painting sometime soon. 

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Hummingbird Magic

5/25/2017

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Hummingbird Magic 

The Hummingbird
by Harry Kemp

The sunlight speaks.  And it's voice is a bird:
It glitters half-guessed half seen half-heard
Above the flower bed. Over the lawn ...
A flashing dip and it is gone.
And all it lends to the eye is this --
A sunbeam giving the air a kiss
flying hummingbird
Possibly a Rufous Hummingbird, taken at Laguna, California
I think everyone can share, with excitement, a story about a hummingbird they have experienced - these magical birds are so tiny, but so full of energy and spirit. When ever you encounter one, you can't help but look and smile. At least that is my reaction every time I see one. 
I remember when I first acknowledged hummingbirds as a kid. I was living in Maryland at the time, and right outside our kitchen window was a big bush filled with flowers. I recall it being this enormous tree, but I was like two feet tall, so everything was big to me. The bush attracted hummingbirds every morning. And I remember sitting at the table in a trance, just watching them fly around the flowers. My mother would share little tidbits about hummingbirds, and I would learn they loved 'sugar' as much as I did, making me a little hummingbird too.
I have since learned that high quantities of sugar is not good for you - so, um, you shouldn't try to be a hummingbird -  and a whole bunch of scientific facts about the why, the how, the where, the what and when hummingbirds eat and live. But the excitement I get every time I see a hummingbird is not because of all the science and knowledge on the subject, instead, it's the pure joy I have watching them buzz around, just like I experienced as a kid.  
I was inspired to capture that feeling in a painting, when I watched a hummingbird fly around a pile of washed up seaweed on the coast of California (turns out, some hummingbirds will eat flies and other insects.)  I wanted this painting to be colorful, vibrant, and echo the joy of a kid in awe of the spirit of a hummingbird. 

​And so with bright yellows and reds, 
Hummingbird Magic appeared on the canvas: 

Hummingbird Magic
Hummingbird Magic, Acrylic on canvas. 9x12"
As I worked on this painting, and another similar painting that reflected my interest in Grackles, I started thinking about all the birds that I have had a personal connection with during my life. From the iconic mallard duck to the exotic flamingo, to the unique one of a kind experiences with rare birds like the Northern Bald Ibis during my travels - I feel inspired to create a series of paintings that reflect my joy, excitement and love for birds - especially when they are flying and the colors of their plumage. If you aren't envious that they can fly, you are certainly envious of how incredibly beautiful their feathers are. 
This new series, like most collections of paintings I start, is of course, an ongoing work in progress. 
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Experimenting with Oil Pastels

5/19/2017

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Oil Pastels - It's like spreading color with lipstick. 

I have a box of Oil Pastels. It looks like this: 
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Each pastel used to be clean, and they came with their own little spot, in a large cardboard box, as a set of 48. But after six moves, over three thousand miles, and a few days spent in hot cars, they are now jumbled up in a small plastic box getting each color all over it's neighbor... but when I look at this color mess, all I see is magic. 

It's like being six again and looking at a box of crayons, oh the possibilities. 

I haven't worked much in oil pastel since I bought them literally six years ago, but this month I wanted an effect on a painting about Red Winged Black Birds that I'm working on and realized I could only get it with oil pastels. So I pulled out my box of color, and started exploring once again. On the first night of discovery, I drew some red winged black birds. 
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And then, got up the courage to draw all over my canvas for red winged black birds...
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Still working on this painting...
Then, after being reminded about how amazing these sticks make color glide... I started playing more. And drew  a manatee... 
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...because manatees are really cute.
And then a spoon bill... 
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....who doesn't love a spoon bill?
And soon found myself over the week, doodling birds while waiting for programs to load on my computer...
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And then got carried away, and started drawing on all of the abstract square canvases
​I had made for other projects....
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...They look better with birds on them.
Oil Pastels consist of pigment mixed with a non-drying oil and wax binder. There are a variety of brands out there to choose from; Cray-pas to Caran D'ache to Sennelier. Unlike some mediums, you can really tell the difference between the cheaper oil pastels and the more expensive ones. Cheaper oil pastels are stiffer and crack easily when drawing. All of my oil pastels are Sennelier, which is one of the more expensive brands. But, with the Sennelier pastels, it really does feel like you are drawing with lipstick, and their colors are more vibrant. They also glide better on more surfaces, making them a lot easier to use if you enjoy working on a variety of surfaces. I discovered early on when trying out a new medium, it's best to buy a box of as many colors as you can afford. Especially in pastels and pencils. Unless you know you are painting a certain subject that needs only several colors. 
In the late 1940s, the story goes that Pablo Picasso's friend, Henri Goetz approached Henri Sennelier, a french artist materials manufacturer, about creating a wax color stick. Picasso was looking for a medium that could be used freely on a variety of surfaces without fading or cracking. Sennelier made the first artist grade oil pastels then with the very intention they could be used as Picasso dreamed. I have barely scratched the surface of possibility with these pastel, but the more I work with them, the more I want to continue exploring how I can make more than just studies of cute animals in my sketchbooks.
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Grand Canyon Day

4/27/2017

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The Grand Canyon 

277 river miles (446km) long, up to 18 miles (29km) wide, and a mile (1.6km) deep
​- According to the National Park's website.
Grand Canyon
This vast canyon is essentially a big hole in the ground. But, of course there is so much more to this beautiful canyon. Anyone who has visited knows there are more secrets to the canyon than what is seen or understood on the surface. Truthfully, it can only be seen to truly appreciate or understand exactly how big this place is... It is impossible to see all of it in a day - although I've heard stories about people hiking from rim to rim in 12 hours. I haven't done that. But I have white watered rafted down the Colorado inside the Canyon, and visited the South rim more than a few times. 
Since living in Arizona, I usually visit the Grand Canyon in the winter. Not really intentionally, but I suppose there are less tourists, and there is something beautiful about seeing snow at the canyon: 
Grand Canyon Snow
January 2016
But, if you have friends and family in town, you make it to the Grand Canyon. Even if it takes three hours to get there! I had a friend visit for a couple days, so we took a road trip up there to see what it was like on a nice April Spring day. 
grand canyon
grand canyon
juniper at grand canyon

And of course, I tried some 'en plein aire.'

SPeters drawing
I used to love painting landscapes outside - At least  I thought I did. When I would go outside with my little box of watercolors (or big box of acrylics,) I would find myself drawn to painting the smallest thing about the entire landscape. A bird, or a tree, or a flower. I would forget to capture the "big" story, and focus on this little thing in front of me. Luckily, I would take hundreds (and hundreds) of photos for reference when I made big abstractions in my studio. But, as an 'en plein aire' artist, it wasn't the big landscape that inspired me, it was the simple story unfolding next to me. So even at the Grand Canyon - quite arguably one of the most beautiful places on earth - I still found myself drawn to a simple Juniper tree. I don't think it was simple though - rather, with its twisted bare branches and moss green foliage, I think it was a story worth recording. 
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Sometimes it is what is right in front of you that is the story worth telling. 

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