"Ben-My-Chree Gardens." Artist's Statement & Biography

Authors

  • Stephanie Ryan

Abstract

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About the Artist

Stephanie Ryan is a watercolour artist living in Whitehorse, Yukon. Originally from Sydenham, Ontario, Stephanie fi rst travelled west in 1994 as a tree planter in northern BC. She completed her BA in Environmental & Natural Resource Studies at Trent University, and ventured further north to the Yukon in 1997. She has worked as a landscaper and garden designer, and more recently as a  backcountry patroller on the Chilkoot Trail. The wild rivers and mountainsides are inspiring for her art and spirit. Her winters are spent painting in her studio and skiing in the local mountains. Her paintings each feature a bit of the sense of awe she feels when she is in the mountains, on some great river, or in a beautiful backyard garden. Stephanie’s work has been commissioned by various groups, including Yukon Brewing, Coast Mountain Sports, and the City of Whitehorse. Her work has also been featured with international publications in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan. She is a member of the Yukon Artists at Work co-operative, and also exhibits at the North End Gallery (Whitehorse) and Alaska Artworks (Skagway).

Artist’s Statement
I fi nd that my best work comes from being immersed in a natural sett ing, when all other distractions fall away and I am left to just take in my surroundings. Sketching beside a river or up a mountainside off ers an inspiring perspective, where the continual changes in light, weather, and trip events provide a really unique sett ing for making art. I like to simplify what I see, focusing in on what has caught my att ention. I use watercolour because I love its portability and the ease with which one can mix colours and apply them. As I set out my lines, I am developing paintings that I hope will capture my experiences and connect other people to that same sense of joy and awe I felt.

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Published

05/31/2014

Issue

Section

Cover Art