Stephanie Estrin — ARTIST

Stephanie E. Estrin

Interview with artist Stephanie Estrin —

1. Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Stephanie Estrin, an artist with a love for bright bold colors.  I’m originally from Montreal, Canada now living in Austin, Texas.  I paint primarily in acrylics and watercolors.  I exhibit locally in and around Austin.

Fluidity

2. Why art?
Art is a way for me to put on paper or canvas emotions or feelings that I’m not able to put into words.  I love to enter the state of flow where time seems to stand still.  Making art puts me into the present where nothing but that moment seems to matter.  It’s a great place to be!

Candy Dreams and Bubble Gum Kisses

3. What is your earliest memory of wanting to be an artist?
My earliest memory is being a child of 6 years old spending hours with a pencil and sketchbook.  I admired other artists from picture books that were able to draw realistically.  My goal was to teach myself to draw.

Clouds In My Coffee

4. What are your favorite subject(s) and media(s)?

At the moment, I’m enamored with abstract.  My work explores the relationship of human nature and emotions captured on canvas that embody my feelings at the precise moment of their creation.  When I paint, I am fully present and create intuitively to express my emotion and thoughts.  With the use of bright, bold colors I strive to make statements through my art that are positive and uplifting; providing my viewer a world of sensory pleasure.  Given my spontaneous process, each of my paintings hold a unique and explosive energy.  I express myself through paint in a way that I can’t do with words. I enjoy exploring color to provoke emotional responses and connection with the viewer.  My favorite mediums at the moment are acrylic paints, oil pastels, graphite and charcoal.  I like mixing the media to create unexpected marks.

Grow

5. How do you work and approach your subject?
A lot of the time when I’m painting in acrylics, I don’t have a specific plan in mind.  I let my intuition guide me.  I enjoy the spontaneous flow of choosing paint colors, making random marks or adding words with whatever strikes me in the moment.  As I continue to make marks and spray water, I watch to see how the paint colors mingle and change and add or subtract from there. I primarily paint with my hands and enjoy the tactile feel of the paint on my fingers as I apply it to the canvas. Once the beginning layers are done, I start to look for imagery to pull out that calls to me within all the marks. I feel that the imagery are clues to messages or stories that need to come out and be seen.  I continue painting and refining until the story feels complete.

Release

6. What are your favorite art work(s), artist(s)?
My favorite artists are Gustav Klimt, Wassily Kandinsky, and Mark Rothko for their use of color.

After The Storm

7. What are the best responses you have had to your work?

The best responses are when people say they were moved by my paintings.  My use of color seems to evoke feelings in people.

8. What do you like about your work?
I like that my work represents a moment in time of my life.  I can look back at a painting and remember exactly what was going at the time, my thoughts and my feelings.

The Heart Knows

9. What advice would you give to other artists?
Practice, practice, practice.  The more you paint, the more comfortable you get, the more authentic your voice emerges.

Spread Your Wings and Fly

10. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
I see myself still painting and honing my skills.  I hope to have my own studio, solo exhibitions and be represented by several galleries.  I like to dream BIG!

Stephanie E. Estrin

LINKS —

 
Website: http://stephanieestrin.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Stephanie.Estrin.Artist
Instagram: http://instagram.com/stephanie_estrin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephEstrin