Over the past few years, I have found it increasingly difficult to find painters who have found their own voice, and who constantly aim to improve and develop their own unique style. Stella is one of those rare artists. Her work harks back to the mood of England in the 50’s, and calls to mind the work of artists such as Eric Ravilious and Paul Nash, but yet she has made it her own. Her landscapes evoke an unspoilt rural England of times gone by, and her still lives the vibrancy and soul of the Bloomsbury Group.
Stella studied History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, and then worked for several years restoring oil paintings for private clients and galleries.
“My paintings are a response to a feeling generated by a particular situation, person or place, - the overwhelming feeling of a landscape existing in 3 dimension around you, the vulnerability of a sitter in a portrait, the implications of the clothes they wear, or the space they inhabit. I am interested in our moment in time, and the record of our existence in it. The paintings are a mixture of my response, and the actual physical appearance of the subject which carries its own physical and emotional content.
My approach is generally through colour and pattern, the outcome is, so far, representational. Each colour and brushstroke counts for or against the final outcome. Each sequence has consequence. The results are always a surprise!”
Stella’s work has been shortlisted for the BP Portrait Award in 2018 and also the Lynn Painter Stainers Award 2018. Stella exhibits with the Russell Gallery in London.