BIO, ARTIST STATEMENT, CV, and CREATIVE PROCESS

Award-winning and international-selling artist Stefanie Stark creates abstract paintings that are simultaneously bold and colorful yet soft and serene. Inspired primarily by nature, Stefanie expresses herself through intuitive brushstrokes as she applies layer upon layer of acrylic paint on canvas. Purposeful drips and oil pastel or pencil marks create texture and contrast between mediums. Through her work, Stefanie feels a connection to her late mother, who regularly arranged fresh flowers for their home. 

A native of  Washington, D.C., Stefanie was always surrounded by original art at home and in museums. By age nine she knew she wanted to be an artist. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and art fairs regionally and nationally. Her paintings are part of private and corporate collections throughout the United States and abroad. Stefanie now lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her family and  works from a home studio. 

My art explores themes of nature and lifecycle, beauty and strength, love and loss, and joy and sorrow. Sometimes longing and wonder are at play, while at other times whimsical elements emerge as if from a dreamlike story. 

Aiming to find contentment between life’s highs and challenges, I create to let go, to replenish and to instill optimism and delight. I am inspired by beauty in the natural world despite the fact that nature can be merciless. There is no bending the rules – all species must grow, transform and eventually die. But a decaying flower can be as awe-inspiring to me as one in its prime. Thankfully, nature offers softness and splendor that is always there if and when we look for it. 

My painting process involves a sort of conversation with the emerging artwork. I combine my feminine disposition, a loose intuitive approach and intentional mark-making throughout this dialogue, all the while adding and taking away various elements in the work. Eventually, I come to a place where there is resolution and contentment in the piece. 

Through my work, I feel an intangible spirituality that acknowledges inner strength and imperfect beauty. Hopefully my art catches and holds viewers for a moment in which they get lost and experience something new.