Steph P Paints

Life isn't always as picturesque as a pretty reel - far from it. In fact, my art practice has been pushed forward mostly following a particularly difficult time in my life. All the same, some moments are truly worth the time it takes to notice them - or more. Sometimes it can feel naive to create from that place of love and awe, but if I'm going to create something new and put it out into the world - I want it to come from a place of love and joy.

I had a brief flirtation with architecture back in uni days. I've always loved history and old buildings - and design of course. After a year I changed direction in my studies, but the love of architecture has never left me. I love how the influence of culture, resources, and environment all shape the way we build spaces around us - a single structure can speak volumes about a moment in time. The same goes for art - but not just paintings. Ceramics, poetry, stories, songs, performance. They all talk to each other and shape the environments we live in.

'Here and Now' will be available with soon

I often anchor the inspiration behind my work to something immediate or tangible, yet in reality each experience flows into the next. We are constantly gathering information, and when we choose to notice the moments we find beautiful, we begin to recognise more of them. Every piece carries its own wins, failures, and happy accidents, all of which quietly inform what follows. Because of this, it’s difficult to isolate a single work from everything that has come before, or to reduce it to one fixed meaning. It's all a big juicy mish mash. And I love that

Honestly, I struggle at this time of year. I'm playing the role of mum more than artist - and I'm lucky, I know. I get to spend my days outside in the sun and by the water (thank you Perth sunshine). But painting has become a huge part of my life, and i find myself yearning for that time again. While I wait, I aim to focus on creative activities with my kids, and building anticipation and inspiration for what I'll create next. If this year has taught me anything it's that good work often requires space, time, and pause. A moment of stillness is a good thing.
This year I set huge goals for myself and poured a lot of energy into those goals.
I set out with 4 art prizes to enter. I was a finalist in three of those prizes, and several more that popped up along the way. I've sold more work this year than ever before, but (perhaps more importantly) I've never been more grounded in the direction of my work. Throughout this process I've met or connected with some incredibly inspirational people, and I've never felt more at home. Lesson here: being introverted doesn't matter when you're around the right people.
My kids are officially out of the toddler era, and once again I've found myself having to level up my parenting skills and approach. Having kids has held me accountable to taking care of myself more deeply, so I can then better take care of them. This has also taught me the great joy of never knowing everything there is to know - something I've brought into my art practice and absolutely thrills me. Being the perpetual student is a wonderful journey I'm so happy to be on.
The past few years where my life has crumbled, been rebuilt, and crumbled again has humbled me deeply and (thankfully) made me realise that most of what we fear is completely in our mind. So is most of what we think we can rely on.
Don't wait, dive head first into what you want. It doesn't take a lot of time - just devotion
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Its been a big year over at with many of my originals finding new collectors. The final auction for the year ends on Sunday 14th.

If you've had your eye on a fruit plate this year, this is a great opportunity to get your hands on one x

A creative low helped me paint this. I’d been working on a figurative piece and nothing was landing. Everything felt stiff and overworked. Eventually I realised I was pushing too hard.

I needed to allow freedom back into the process.

So I put on some meditation music and stopped trying to make it perfect. I just aimed to capture the feeling of being in a place.

That’s how these abstract landscapes began. I've been very humbled by the response to these pieces. Sharing new work always comes with an element of self-doubt, but the response to these pieces has reminded me to trust my gut.

When it feels right, it probably is.

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