Final 10th Anniversary PDF For Printer

Our 10th Anniversary Women of Distinction
EMERGENCE IS THE BEST WORD
one can find to describe the current
work of artist Stefanie Bales. Her paintings
inspire the mystical and yet are
rather cerebral. Upon viewing her work,
one will experience an other-worldliness.
Upon further inspection, one
might identify with the imagery and its
story. It is truly mystical.
An accomplished artist, Stefanie is
an Instructor at Platt College where she
teaches her students to use traditional
2D and 3D mediums to create their
artistic visions, despite the rest of their
coursework being software focused.
Her educational background is impressive
with a BFA from the University of
Delaware’s honor program and an M.S.
in Educational Counseling with a focus
on Art Therapy. It was through her
educational goals that she transferred
her interests and experience in Gestalt
therapy into her artwork.
Following is a discussion I had with
this fascinating artist about her work:
Deeba: “How would you describe the
approach and technique you take when
creating a piece or a series of work?”
Stefanie: “I love to work with all
mediums and use everything from oils
to watercolors, but for the past five years
or so I've been working primarily with
an acrylic and mixed media process
which is really where I have found my
voice."
Golden Hour
Deeba: “I really appreciate the use
of light in your paintings. As any artist
knows, the manipulation of light is
essential in conveying feeling, shape, and
mood in a painting. I've also noticed the
balance between light and textures in
your work. Can you expand on this?"
Stefanie Bales:
TAPPING INTO THE
PSYCHE THROUGH ART
By Deeba Van Overberghe
Stefanie: “My work is rather intuitive
as I start with one inspiration and
respond instinctively to color, texture,
and form. I don’t follow a visual map
or have a specific frame of reference
allowing for a certain freedom to just let
each painting evolve as I work. I spent
years experimenting with an ink transfer
process until I was able to hone the
technique into something that was really
individual to my work and aesthetic. My
method is similar to collage work, but
instead of cut and paste, I'm transferring
bits of texture and imagery amidst the
painted areas. This allows for moments
of hyperrealism and really changes the
voice of an otherwise traditional painterly
composition."
Deeba: “When I view your work I
can actually feel the heat of the day, smell
the salt in the beach air or experience the
popping and snapping of electricity when
looking at those telephone poles! Can
you elaborate on how you use imagery to
evoke those feelings in the viewer? As well,
can you talk about the emotions a viewer
might have while experiencing your work.
Perhaps what I’m asking is, do you create
with intention to stimulate the viewer in
a certain way? “
Stefanie: “Throughout my career
and my transition through mediums,
there were always a few things that have
been the hallmarks of my work- the
study of light, the soft color palette, and
the poignant atmospheric qualities that
emanate from it. I’m very much inspired
by color relationships, especially those
derived from the sun. Regarding the
emotional response, while creating my
series Waking Life, I was really interested
in and focused on the idea of a priori
and the collective subconscious. I composed
landscapes that weren't geograph-
ically specific but were supposed to feel
universally familiar. Collectively, the
works in the series have been described
as depictions of universal daydreams,
which as an afterthought, was feedback I
really enjoyed."
Deeba: “I happen to be dyslexic. At
times, and for brief moments, I cannot
discern what the shapes are that I am
seeing and this causes an uneasiness even
though the image is beautiful. In some
of your paintings, I feel as if this is the
case. Can you explain why I feel uneasy
when looking at some of your work, even
though it is beautiful?"
Stefanie: “This is fascinating. I’ve
never been told that my work causes
a feeling of unease, but I understand
what you’re referring to. This goes back
to my process allowing for moments
of hyperrealism amidst the painterly
elements, resulting in a landscape that
is both surreal and juxtaposed. Because
I’m uniting elements that weren’t
intended to be combined, the overall
image becomes a montage of varying
perspectives, timeframes, and topographies,
which in turn creates secondary
contradictions or illusions in figure,
form, and atmosphere.”
‘Gestalt psychology is an attempt to
understand the laws behind the ability
to acquire and maintain meaningful
perceptions in an apparently chaotic
world. The central principle of gestalt
psychology is that the mind forms
a global whole with self-organizing
tendencies. This principle maintains
that when the human mind forms a
percept or "gestalt," the whole has a
reality of its own, independent of the
parts.'
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