Stefanie Rapoza

About Stefanie Rapoza

For me, abstract art is about exploring and expressing the inner emotional landscape, sometimes volatile, other times serene. Through my art I wish to share the beauty that can be found in both dark and light, and the way those areas intertwine or clash as in life.

When I step up to the canvas I go with what I feel. Often times I have a loose idea about what I want to explore but I remain open to how the painting will guide my decisions. I choose colors and marks intuitively as they come. It’s a feeling I get about what should exist there. 

The flow doesn’t always happen immediately. Sometimes it takes several layers of paint before I start to feel the enticing pull of automation and freedom. Thoughts and memories float in like whispers bouncing around, but also working through me onto the canvas. In and out of automation I go. It’s a sort of dance. A give and take of ideas and happenings. 

At some point I see what the painting is meant to be. From there it is all about guiding the last stages. If I focus on how I feel about it and ignore external pressures, that makes all the difference.