Friday, Sept. 2 at 4 p.m.—BRANDON—A Compass Music and Arts Center exhibit, “The Creative World of Stephanie Stouffer,” offers a rare opportunity to see and purchase the unique original work of one of the few artists to earn a living as an illustrative and decorative artist. The exhibit opens at the Compass Center on Friday, Sept. 2 with an opening reception from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Stouffer will also give a gallery talk on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. The exhibit runs through Oct. 29.
Stephanie Stouffer is known for her vivid imagination, precision, and exceptional use of color, which creates work sometimes described as folk art with a contemporary flair.
The paintings of Stephanie Stouffer have not, until now, been exhibited beyond her Belmont, Vt. home-based gallery, though visitors frequently recognize the work as internationally known. The artist has been licensing her work to companies like Caspari, Certified International, and Peking Handicrafts for 35 years, with her images appearing on mugs, tapestries, greeting cards, pillows and rugs. However, the more than 1,500 original paintings she has produced during her career have never been exhibited or offered for sale.
The exhibit showcases many of Stouffer’s original paintings, along with selected licensed products, and represents a significant chapter of her life’s work. After a time-intensive career of creating work non-stop for the demands of licensing companies and the fickle, ever-changing market trends, Stouffer would be the first to say that she has moved on from that life. But she does continue to paint, and is enjoying the freedom and time to pursue new creative endeavors. Visitors to the exhibit will also see examples of these new works.
When Stouffer opened her gallery in Belmont in 2008 she finally understood that she was actually known by her art, if not by her name, and that she says “was a very special feeling.”
“The main goal of my work,” she explained, “was to keep it fun and whimsical and to bring delight to people.” She hopes that is what this exhibit will do for all who see it.
The Compass Music and Arts Center is located in Park Village at 333 Jones Drive, Brandon. For more information, visit cmacvt.org or call 802-247-4295.
Photo courtesy of CMAC
“A Votre Sante,” (to your health) by Stephanie Stoufer features Goauche—a method of painting using opaque pigments ground in water and thickened with a gluelike substance—on archival Strathmore illustration board.
