Stephanie Corfee » whimsical art

work in progress – watery woodnymph canvas

StephanieCorfee — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:57:25 +0000

….in progress…..a 24 x 30″ gallery wrapped canvas painted with acrylics…stay tuned.

Fingerpaint & Chalk – new artwork

StephanieCorfee — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:48:26 +0000

This artwork is the painter’s equivalent of a writer’s mind dump. You get all these thoughts swirling in your head and have an almost physical need to get them out on paper, or in this case-computer screen, since i made the art using my favorite toy. My Wacom Intuos4 Graphics tablet and stylus. Oh man! How did i ever live without them?! No messy paint tubes and no brush cleanup….especially nice when your urge for a mind-dump comes in the wee small hours and you’ve got a 2 month old baby sleeping beside you! SO awesome to be able to get my vision onto the screen without even changing my seat!

i kept seeing this filmy colorful background….sort of like when latex balloons in bright colors overlap each other with the sunshine behind them? Bright, vivid and transparent….

The sketches had to be white. No other option. The sketchy, messy style is a little different than my usual doodlings, but i see a trend moving toward the UN-done look like this for me in the coming weeks. It feels very genuine and somewhat warm and inviting because of it….like a conversation. Approachable and friendly. i haven’t named it yet, though i’ve had many suggestions on facebook.

Fingerpaint was my favorite theme so far.

Maybe Fingerpaint & Chalk??

works in progess – anything goes

StephanieCorfee — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:43:08 +0000

i have really been leaning toward children’s artwork the past couple months. i think i have kids on the brain. this piece was an exercise in letting my mind wander and just sketching whatever wanted to come out of my hand in the moment….thus the title, “anything goes.” It’s basically just a brain dump on paper with a super whimsical spirit.

Why a dog? i have no idea.

Why rainclouds instead of white fluffy ones? i really don’t know.

Maybe i could have this drawing analyzed to see what’s actually brewing in my brain? ……nah! i think i prefer to leave it a mystery. I’d rather hear what you all might make of it. Tell me some stories as to what you see going on here….leave your ideas in the comments if you like!

At any rate, i am going to be offering this B&W version, ready for coloring, as a free download here on the blog over the weekend. If anyone colors one and sends it to me, i’ll be sure to add your interpretation to this post! That’d be super fun!

i will also be doing a full color version for sale in my etsy shop.

completed works – creativity print

StephanieCorfee — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:15:22 +0000

i’m on a mission. must complete all my half-finished artwork from the past several months! My day job has gotten the better of me and i’ve begun way too many projects without ever completing them. i had watercolored these circles way back and never completed the piece. SO….i might seem like i’m really cranking it out i the next week or so, but really, i’m just finishing!

This print is a nice, cheerful, colorful daily reminder of the many ways we can be creative. EVERYDAY! notice; “procrastination” is not one of the ways.

story behind the art – white lines

StephanieCorfee — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:27:17 +0000

Why did i create this piece?

This one started as a study of form, and i’d spent about 8 hours on it when i decided i’d have to scrap it. It was out of balance somehow. i told myself it was no biggie, it was just an exercise, and it had been extremely calming and meditative to create….so you win some and you lose some. But after walking away and coming back to it a few days later, it was so obvious to me what was wrong with it. The outlines were solid black. They were too heavy considering the wood-stained perimeter and the intricately filled spaces and loops. It felt heavy. It didn’t feel like ME. It needed to be lifted up and given an airier feeling. So i filled in the black lines with white acrylic, just leaving a sliver of the original black around the edges, and i started loving it. The white lines BECAME the piece. They inspired me to add all the white line-work around the perimeter of the main shape. They brightened the personality of the piece and made me want to add the cheerful words. Those simple white lines changed everything.

Now, i could probably insert some great “Black vs White” analogy or turn of phrase here…but that would cheapen the truth, which is really crazy simple. i just needed to lighten up! My brain and my spirit wanted me to lighten up. If you know me, that’s pretty freakishly on point. Sometimes, in my little world of detail and control and perfection, i miss the forest for the trees and i just need to remind myself to loosen the grip, take a break, get some fresh eyes! Then, like magic, the answer comes and i feel better, more like myself. i know it’s why i adore wild color so much, it balances my crazy, meticulous, type-A tendencies.

i really have a special fondness for this piece, because when i look at it, i see the journey. i turned the lost cause into something i consider beautiful. It’s a great lesson and a good daily reminder. So that’s the story. ; )

Completed Works – “Alice” Invitation

StephanieCorfee — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:47:59 +0000

Here is the color version of the Alice in Wonderland art i’ve been working on for a custom kiddie party invitation. The final layout has more details printed at the bottom, but ya’ll don’t need to see that. None of us are invited anyway.

i used Spectracolor markers and Prismacolor pencils to bring this to life. Feels good to be done, now onto the next!