Ok I don't want you to think I've forgotten about announcing last week's giveaway winner–I had been working on a post about Orange County artist
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At first glance, Stephanie Han Windham's work may seem really simple – “ooo nice flower,” you might say upon walking by. But you should really stop and look closer; the deceptively simple background has a sense of depth to it and the linework of the drawing layered on top is gorgeous. Here's what the artist has to say about how she's influenced to do what she does:
The influence for my series “Graphic Flora” comes from my love of the graphic poster art from late 19th-century Europe and Japanese comics and animation. Their emphasis on linework and graphic treatment of organic forms is very attractive to me. The new series “Tama” was influenced by my desire to try my hand at total abstraction. While I was concentrating on circular forms, they started reminding me of biological elements like cells and bubbles, and that in turn made me think of the types of environments one would find such elements, and I started thinking about outer space and submarine environments. Recognizable plant-like forms started creeping back in, so now it's kind of become a narrative about evolution.
Stephanie's been painting seriously for over five years now, and juggles her art career with her day job as Art Director for graphic design firm JDA, Inc. in Long Beach. She participates in art festivals and exhibitions in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, and works with several art consultants to sell or rent her paintings to clients. The rentals have placed her work in dozens of TV productions including episodes of Samantha Who, The Closer, and How I Met Your Mother.
It's important to note that Stephanie and I both knit with the Long Beach Stitch 'n' Bitch group when we can. Since her paintings have been seen on How I Met Your Mother with Neil Patrick Harris, she made the paintings, and I know her, I hereby decree I am officially 3 degrees of separation from Doogie Howser, M.D.–swoon!
Stephanie's work has started to come full circle as time goes on. After graduating from the Laguna College of Art and Design she worked on lots of mixed media projects. Then as she pursued her MFA in Illustration, she began to do pieces that were strictly painting only. “Now I'm kind of getting back into doing more of the textured look from my mixed media days,” she says, “I guess I like doing a variety of things to keep it interesting for myself.”
Stephanie's currently working on a new series of pieces for a September Show at Bergamont Station in Santa Monica–the show is tenatively titled “Menagerie”–and features small paintings on paper of various animals. She's been married to her husband Curtis for 10 years, and loves spending time with him, her stepson, and her cat.
For more information on Stephanie Han Windham, check out her website!
