I am a painter and printmaker using art to tell stories about the imprint that we have on each other and the environment. I combine my art with my other job - focused on accelerating progress to a just and sustainable future for everyone. Through the artistic process I explore patterns and histories that deepen my understanding of a place or an issue. I am also interested in involving people in art and how the individualist act of painting can serve or support a community.
I combine painting and print making - using oil, acrylic, collage, intaglio and etching to depict the connections and contradictions between the wildness of landscapes and the formality and function of the maps we use to represent them. The maps represent the imprint that we have on a place and are often presented alongside fragments of landscape or plants that can be found there. The paintings have elements of landscape, maps, journeys and individual stories. Increasingly I collage pieces of print on the paintings to reflect the layers of complexity that every moment or place presents. The palette I use reflects the the landscape or the story and brings out my emotional response.
I am fascinated with the way big global concerns manifest in specific places. River Piracy, for example, is impacting the water courses of the Yukon. As a glacier shrinks it can change the way rivers flow which starves a landscape of vital water sources, impacting the communities that draw on them.
My examination of these places through my art deepens my understanding and I hope brings insight and beauty to social change.
I have developed my practice at Newlyn School of Art and have exhibited in a variety of shows including Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Derby Print Open, The Oxmarket Gallery, Chapel House Hotel and AppArt. I am a member of Ochre Print Studio.
I’d love to hear what you think, so do get in touch via Instagram: @stephaniedraperartist or through my contact page.
