Stephanie Small – Horse Artist Interview

Name
Stephanie Small

Website & Places you can find my work online
deviantART: pegacorna2 and to a lesser extent you can see some of my art on Elfwood

Where I am
Lake County, California

Tell us a little about you, what is your background & where do you come from?
I was raised on a farm where I developed a love of horses that I shared with my mother. Throughout my life, I have drawn and worked with horses and other animals. I spend much of my time trying to capture the beauty in all animals, but primarily equines.

Which came first, the horse or the art?
The obsession with unicorns began very early as did the art, its hard to say which came first. My first stuffed animals I chose were unicorns and I loved coloring from the moment I could hold a crayon.

When did you first start drawing & painting horses?
They thought I was sick as a child, because I spent 20 minutes drawing one picture with many unicorns all over it. They thought I was obsessing over it since I was under two years old. However, I proved to just be very good at focusing and drawing horses and equines.

The oldest picture that I personally own is a winged unicorn I drew at five years old, but my family may have something older.

Your style is unique with a mythical quality, what inspired you to branch out into other horse-type creatures?
The obsession to capture all the mythical creatures I have heard of in art has always been a part of me. I remember trying to draw orcs and trolls out of my fathers Dungeons and Dragon’s Monster manual as a small child. The obsession with horses was strong.

Is there a specific breed that influences your animals?
I have always been partial to Arabians and Friesians.

Who are your main artistic influences?
Brian Froud, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, Giger, Escher, Boris Vallejo & Julie Bell, Luis Royo.

Do you (or did you) have a specific animal that is the muse behind your work?
I had horse named Camille whom I drew very often as I child. I essentially learned to draw horses on her (she was a pure bred Arabian with perfect conformation, so my mother said it would be best to learn to draw her).

I eventually started drawing the other horses I met, but those initial lessons of learning to draw an Arabian will stick with me.

Do you have any secret rituals you do to help you get in the zone for your art?
Not anymore. I can get into the “art zone” instantly, in fact, its something I practice in my spiritual life. I use my art as my meditative focus. Since I know how it feels to be in the “art zone” I can invoke that feeling almost immediately now and “focus” on almost any task. Its quite handy.

Sort of the reverse of your question, but I am sure a long time ago I had subconscious rituals to get me into the zone.Now the art is the subconscious ritual.

Is there a particular place that brings you inspiration?
By my friends, family or out in nature. I will usually get inspired simply be being near an animal or a place with something interesting to draw.

What effect do you think the Internet will have on art in the future?
I speculate art will become more available, as people learn to hire independent artists for inexpensive jobs, but at the same time, it will seriously drive down the market on artists and their skills. However, some artists that might have been lost to obscurity without such a huge resource, will get the opportunity to become well known.

Has it had an effect on yours?
Certainly, without the Internet I wouldn’t have the confidence or knowledge to step out and display or sell my artwork. Personally, I have found lots of tutorials, training, software and feedback online that I have never had the opportunity to receive anywhere else.

Which one is your personal favorite piece?
Princess Tariel Nimara for its variety, color and serenity. It always relaxes me.

Would you ever sell it?
Probably not.

What else are you passionate about?
Dragons and my spirituality.

Working on anything new?
I am working on a unicorn healing series and I am finishing up a collaborative art contest between several artists featuring flying creatures.

More to Come

Thanks to Stephanie for answering the interview and sharing her work. Be sure to check out her deviantART profile periodically for updates about her latest works.

Also stay tuned for more interviews with horse artists and photographers. Are you a horse artist or do you know an equine artist you’d like to see featured? Add your name and website in the comments below or drop me a note to get involved.