Interview with Ms. Stephanie Brown

Ms. Stephanie Brown is an incredibly talented artist. She is very skilled technically, metaphysically, and her compositions are righteous. Just recently (like today), Ms. Stephanie Brown quickly zapped over some snazzy responses to a few questions. Check out her work and what she has to say!

-- Where/What did you study art?

I grew up drawing dragons, airplanes, bad Sailormoon comics and generally living inside my head...I started at Arizona State University in 2005, where the art program is very technical and assignment-based. It was hard to keep any interest, I was involved with other things and would much rather paint at home than trace rocks (seriously) in my Drawing I class. After some coaxing I applied to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and have since uprooted myself from the southwest and now study at SAIC. It's a very conceptually based school, is strangely esoteric at times, and can sometimes be a bit unfriendly to illustrator-types like myself. But the opportunity to work in the museum and have this amazing archive at your disposal is pretty indispensable...I joke about the school often but it has been a good grounding point since moving. Another year, and then off into the wild blue yonder.

-- What's your favorite place on the internet?

Favorite e-haunts... the Shorpy Photo Archive is a blog I check often, some of these people in these antique photos have the greatest expressions (case in point) -- they also have a great collection of photos of kitchens, and industrial factories. Also: Nico Muhly has one of the best blogs I've ever read. I really respect the way that boy can segue between the topics of "Make Me a Supermodel" and David Lang's compositional style.

-- What is your favorite animal?

Are you really going to make me pick? I love certain animals for their aesthetics, and others for their allegorical properties. I've always been drawn to the ocean, birds of prey, muscular, long-limbed mammals...I'm obsessed with this video at the moment, maybe that will answer some questions.

I told you she was rad!

-- What are you working on now?

I should be working on working on more artwork -- I'm in this strange lull in projects, and the spring weather is seducing me into riding bikes and sitting on porches. There are a few paintings and drawings that I am slowly finishing -- In a few weeks I am going on this insane cross-country road trip, which will be laboriously documented in a few different ways, and hopefully something *really good* is going to come from it.