Stephanie’s artist statement

“I am an artist. I make paintings. I make drawings. I am inspired by nature and pop culture.

My artwork is neat, nice, and colorful. When shapes repeat, it looks cool. In my art, I make mazes. I make a maze and then I turn the maze into a tree. Mazes are made from memories. My memories are from dreams. I choose pencil, markers, paper, and canvas. When I paint on large canvas I feel powerful. Making one artwork feels like millions.

Stephanie’s favorite medium is acrylic paint. She paints and draws with acrylic, mainly using Montana markers and Promarkers on canvas. Sometimes she adds graphite or a watercolor drip. On Monday through Thursday, she paints on small canvases, and on Friday through Sunday, she works on big canvases. She also makes and sells jewelry. She’s focused and dedicated in her work, and she completes a piece for every idea she has. She loves going into her studio and sometimes doesn’t want to do anything else. As she paints, she stands on a colorful painted rug that she created. Inspiring music blasts from her iPod — often movie scores, dramatic and intense, or meditative chanting.

It’s so fun. I don’t know why I keep doing it, I just can’t help it. When I’m sleeping, I’m dreaming about my artwork. I think it’s just ‘me.’”

— Stephanie Wilcox

working for 1½ years on art vocation training with art teacher Maria Brown at CHOICE, unlimited in Duluth. These art vocation sessions give individuals who are most serious about their artistic pursuits the guidance and support they need to take their work to the next level.

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“I want to keep doing it,” she said. “Making more art and having more shows.”

To Stephanie, making art is more than a hobby. “It’s my job, but I still enjoy it,” she said. Stephanie has been

Top: Stephanie Wilcox said she loves her paintings and plans on making prints of her work into clothing, such as leggings.

Bottom left: Stephanie Wilcox holds a painting she made this year while standing on a rug she designed.

Bottom right: Stephanie Wilcox sits beside one of the bigger pieces of art she has created this year.

“Stephanie is the most confident artist you will meet,” Maria said. “She is passionate about her art, and she works hard. Her creativity is matched only by her ambition.”

In art vocations, Stephanie works to prepare and set up an art exhibition or a vendor table at an art fair. She has participated in group and solo exhibitions in Duluth, Grand Rapids, St. Paul and Quintana Roo, Mexico. During the past several months, you may have seen her work in her solo exhibitions at Beaner’s Central or at the BlueCross BlueShield Retail Center in Duluth, or in the Member Show of the Duluth Art Institute. She has also sold her work at the Get It Local Gift Fairs around Christmas the past two years. Her resume also includes winning the SO-MN Area 3 Unified Bowling T-Shirt Design Contest in 2017 and serving as the Commissioned Logo Designer for BOLD-choice Theatre’s touring production in 2012.

Stephanie has gone through several artistic stages during her 10 years of creating. She started out making a multitude of circles and squares on one piece of paper. Then the circles and squares became smaller and smaller. Next came trees and then sunsets, where a huge circle sunset on canvas was the focus. Most recently, her ideas have come from movies and pop culture, and there have been many aliens and fantasy creatures. With an eye to the future, her work continues to evolve. D

Alison Stucke is a Duluth freelance writer and frequent contributor to The Woman Today. She works at CHOICE, unlimited in Duluth.