Steffanee White

Artist Statement

I was an imaginative child who loved to draw and write stories, but being wholly creative became secondary to providing security for my family throughout most of my adulthood. After major life changes in my 40s, I began to unearth my complete creative self, and began painting in 2018. While I have always used creativity in some capacity - from marketing and writing to the development of unique offerings in my small business - painting has now become my most passionate artistic focus and form of expression.

Painting gives me a profound sense of purpose, allowing me to express ideas and emotions I find difficult to put into words. My goal as an artist is to make people wonder, to question, to evoke uneasiness. I gravitate toward adventurous colors, bizarre figures, abstract faces, and atypical shapes. Many of the images in my paintings come directly from consequential life experiences, thematic dreams, and even ephemeral images that appear in my mind in the moment just before falling asleep. I rarely have a plan when I paint, but a voice emerges and my imagery always ends up tying into the way I am feeling in the moment.

If the viewer is looking for a straightforward explanation to my work, it may be difficult to identify, because so much of my art stems from my subconscious. But I do hope you will uncover something deeply relatable that strikes an emotional chord within.

Biography

Steffanee White is an artist whose work leans towards the surreal and fantastical. Working primarily in acrylics, she takes inspiration from her dreams, emotions, and impactful life events. White paints what she is feeling in the moment, putting brush to canvas with her mind's eye guiding her. Her work can be identified by its bold colors and unconventional figures and shapes.

White was born in the Midwest, grew up in the Middle East, spent 30 years in California, and now resides in Saint Petersburg, Florida. She has a degree in Writing from the University of California, San Diego, and worked in high-tech marketing for over 20 years in Silicon Valley. Today, she dedicates herself to numerous creative outlets, including painting, jewelry design, sewing, and crafting.

Although she only began painting in 2018, her work has been displayed in several art exhibitions on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Her work is signed with a schwa symbol (ə).

Exhibition History (CV)

Awards