Stephanie King

Artist Statement

From the earliest age I was drawn to the ethereal world of flowers. Throughout my life I have explored many art mediums. Nature, music, traveling, learning, teaching, eating with the seasons and most importantly, creating art, makes up the tapestry of my life. Through many twists and turns, great gains and losses, I never lose sight of preserving the beauty the natural world is constantly providing. I have been drawn to projects of an ecological nature my entire life. With nature as my primary muse, I approach my art through observation, documentation, exploration, and experimentation using an array of media and methods. The focus of my work is on exploring colors, patterns and textures found within the landscape.

I am bringing the many different types of seaweed to the foreground, literally and figuratively, by making it my focal point of my work and as part of my mission as an eco-artist. Transforming seaweed and natural materials into creations that speak to nature’s beautiful and mystical landscapes, seascapes and ecology, my artwork often depicts the fragility and delicate nature of these ecosystems and the interdependence of all living things on earth. Hand pressing, printing, drawing and using watercolors with seaweed offers me unlimited inspiration and possibilities for my art. Incorporating a modern style with patterns, colors and layers that push past traditional boundaries and approaches of the medium, my vision is inspired by the Victorian-era tradition of seaweed pressing, while communicating a modern aesthetic that feels very much in the present moment. In my studio, I
explore ways to transfer the textures, colors, and patterns found within the natural landscape. Within each session, I blend artistic expression with scientific curiosity by creating realistic, yet whimsical assemblages of time and place to reveal a unique fingerprint of natural history. While I am immersed in my creative process, I feel a deep sense of purpose, wellbeing and connection. When I work with a wet medium such as seaweed, I can loosen up, surrender to the flow and embrace the changing tides of life. In addition to practicing sustainable methods while collecting drift seaweed and wild botanicals, I regularly clean beaches and use my work to educate and create behavior change.