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Stephanie Kirkland

  • Artwork
    • Abstracts
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  • Teamwork makes the dream work. Don't you think? . Words cannot express how much I am in LOVE with this series of paintings. . Something about this sunny and 70-degree weather has me channeling all kinds of beautiful inspiration. . Provence was my absolute FAVORITE place in France. . I'll tell you more about this light-filled and swoon-inducing place over the next few weeks as I share a bit more about each individual painting. . In the meantime, just know that J and I loved it so much that we started researching vacation homes before we even left. 😂 . Pipe dream, perhaps, but a dream all the same. . 📷: The Provence Collection, coming early June. . Have you ever felt that way about a particular place?
  • This was quite literally the very first photo I took when I traveled to France for the first time this past September. . Not only was Notre Dame my first photo, but it was the only place I visited twice in my two short days in Paris. My favorite area of the city, I told people when I returned home. . I'm not even Catholic, but clearly I recognized something special about this building. . One of my life mantras is "no regrets." And while I can generally say that I live up to that ideal, I must tell you that I really missed the mark this time. . We never went inside the cathedral because we knew we'd be back in Paris at some point, and we could always see it next time. . As we watch this iconic landmark burn, I feel the complete weight of that huge, huge mistake...and the stupidity of my arrogance in taking for granted something I just assumed would always be there. . What strikes me most though is this unexplained attachment I'm realizing I have to this...building. . I know many of us like to think that material things don't matter. That we're better off with less "stuff," and as long as we have our memories and experiences, that's all that matters. . And while that's true to an extent, I think the world's reaction to Notre Dame shows us that yes, sometimes, material things do matter. A great deal, actually. . Notre Dame is a symbol. Of human achievement. Of the prescence and grandeur of God. Of Paris. . My heart is singing hymns with those lining the streets of Paris tonight. May the fire die quickly, and may we never forget the meaning of this beautiful landmark.
  • OK, I'm beginning to feel a collection coming together: a series of landscapes and abstracts inspired by the lush and light-filled region of Provence. My favorite place! ☀️🌬🍃 . I've got 12 paintings either in-progress or finished at the moment, ranging in size from 4x4 to 36x48 inches. . I'm not certain of a date yet, but I'm guessing it'll be late May or early June when I release them. . I'll release them all at once for sale on my website, and anyone on my email list will get a few hours of early access. . Sign up using the link in my profile if you want extra time to contemplate snagging one of these!
  • How do I want you to feel when you see my artwork? . I was asked that question this week as part of an art course I'm taking. . The answer came quickly: refreshed, emboldened, and confident. . How do I think my artwork communicates that? . Well, I think you see it mostly in my abstracts. . My color choices can be kind of unexpected, in part because I see colors in very nuanced and specific ways and attach them very specifically to certain feelings, sounds, and emotions. I hope you find the colors I use refreshing, because they're not quite like anything you've seen before, and yet they both sooth and energize you. . That wild and raw nature that my abstracts have? Well, that's on purpose, too. To be honest, a lot of what happens in painting are "happy accidents." I'm stepping into the unknown and don't really know what's going to result, and there's quite a bit of fear and uncertainty in that. So each abstract is essentially a little bit of effort and a little bit of bravery distilled--a reminder for you to grab life in your own unique way, and to rest in your own voice. To take chances on whatever is calling you. . Do you feel that? Or something else, perhaps? . This 20x24 from day 9 of #The100DayProject still needs a good bit of work, but this section is one of those "happy accidents." A little slice of heaven that wouldn't exist without showing up and being brave.
  • I've been lying to you. . OK, well maybe not LYING exactly, but possibly withholding some important information. . I find it almost impossible to plan a good abstract painting. . Now don't get me wrong--there's a good deal of intention behind each and every one, but "planning" isn't the word for it. . Take this one, for example. I knew what colors I wanted to use (light-filled and lush shades pulled from Provencal landscapes), and I knew how I wanted it to feel (warm and breezy). . But beyond that, it's almost entirely out of my control. . I put down a color--and think about things I learned in art school like contrast and balance and movement-- and just keep adding layer after layer until BOOM. Just like that, before I barely realize what hit me, a perfectly beautiful painting is staring me in the face. . One of my painting professors called this (pretty common) phenomenon "happy accidents." . I like what Steven Pressfield says about it. He credits great works of art to muses. . He says, "It's as though the Fifth Symphony existed already in that higher sphere, before Beethoven sat down and played dah- dah- dah- DUM. The catch was this: The work existed only as potential—without a body, so to speak. It wasn't music yet. You couldn't play it. You couldn't hear it. It needed someone. It needed a corporeal being, a human, an artist (or more precisely a genius, in the Latin sense of 'soul' or 'animating spirit') to bring it into being on this material plane. So the Muse whispered in Beethoven's ear. Maybe she hummed a few bars into a million other ears. But no one else heard her. Only Beethoven got it." . I feel that with most abstract paintings I make. . I'm still looking for title suggestions, though I'm leaning towards "Warm Wind." 8x8 inches, acrylic on canvas, Day 7 of #100DaysofTravelPainting. . Do you believe in divine inspiration or muses? Have you ever done or created something and almost couldn't believe you did or made it?
  • Some abstract works-in-progress inspired by the warm sunlight of Provence. . Days five and six of #100DaysofTravelPainting and #The100DayProject.

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