I’ve been working on some wonderful, colorful new pieces of art the last few weeks. Here are a few close ups! Painting is a moment of calm and creativity during these still-weird days of quarantine.
I have a new collection releasing on June 18th. The pieces are all small, and perfect as gifts for the (mostly virtual) milestone celebrations the summer months bring. The bright and full of hope. Stay tuned on instagram or by joining my email list!
Hi Friends! On May 1st, I launched a fine art collection called the Burst Collection! The pieces are full of color and movement and hope!
When I started painting my collection in early February, I didn’t plan that it’s release date would be in the middle of a pandemic. With all the drastic changes happening in the world, I was ambivalent to stay on schedule and worried it wasn’t the right time to be making and marketing art. But with beautiful encouragement from my friends and art community, I decided to push forward, even if only for the benefit of my mindset. These 20 paintings came from hope, worry, changing seasons, new traditions and pursuing creativity even in the unknown. I hope they will be an open, energizing, hope-filled and encouraging experience for you, your family, and your safe spaces.
Hello friends!
Day 28 of quarantine… and I know this entire thing is a lot. It’s ok to feel like it’s a lot. Because it it. I wanted to come say hi and remind you that, as the great philosopher Troy Bolton once taught us, we’re all in this together! And we are going to get through it.
A lot of people are using their mandatory indoor time to learn new skills or make pretty things! Skillshare, Lynda, Youtube and even your favorite artists’ instagram stories are all great resources to learn a new art or craft skill during these ‘stay home’ weeks. What are you making? Is it something you love? I hope you are creating what you need to see and what makes you smile!
On the flipside, I totally understand not having the energy to learn something new when so many other things need our focus right now. (Or you might not even have all this extra time people speak of!) The most important thing is to take care of yourself. Do all the usuals (drink water, go to bed at a reasonable hour, get some fresh air) and keep in mind, it’s good for your brain to be surrounded by things you are obsessed with. If you have the means, invest in some pretty art for your space to keep you company while you hang out there for a while!
I am always available to chat via instagram or email! If you have any questions about learning painting, lettering or embroidery, hit me up! I want to support you in your creative endeavors and I’ll do my best to help when I can!
Hello friends! It’s been a while, but I’ve had a few great questions asked about my art endeavors recently so let’s get into it! (see my art at stephanieritacreative.bigcartel.com)
– When did you decide to focus more energy into your art? – Last October! I had a long & inspired brainstorm session with myself and the result was the decision to create for myself a practice in painting. Doing it often, with intention. Making art has always been very important to me and I needed to honor that by putting a strong amount of energy into it. With the practice of painting comes many, many physical paintings! And what do you do with them? You sell them. So here we are! 😉
– Doesn’t your art business feel like it’s happening really fast? – Hmm… It does feel fast in the sense that I am painting way more often and intensely than ever, and I’m talking about my art 100% more than before. But truly, I think it feels more like “a long time coming” than it does “fast”. I have been making art my whole life, went to art school, was actually very close to minoring in painting (6 credits away, bad planning on my part), have been running a photography business since 2013 and even dabbled in selling lettering art between 2014-16. So being a creative, and a creative business owner, is not new or fast to me!
– Why now? – I’m energized and motivated. I have ideas and visions. I am focused. I have a litttttttle extra time now that my toddler has a consistent nap schedule, ha!! So why NOT now?
– What are your favorite things to paint? – I’m not as much of a ‘things’ painter as I am a ‘feelings’ painter. I pick colors that feel good in the moment and go with my gut on what the painting will look like! Sometimes they start one way and end up completely different. I’m inspired by seasons and music and moods, so those always play into my art, too.
– How did you get your art in to a coffee shop? – (For those that don’t know, I have 8 original paintings hanging in Cafe 641 in Hudson, MA!) I asked!! I researched the contact person for my town’s art association, emailed them and asked if they had any openings this year. And they did! Their team vetted my portfolio and told me they would get me in “sometime this year”. Which actually happened to be about 3 weeks later 🙂 Moral of the story, ask for what you want, friends.
– What about your photography business? Does that still exist? – YES!!! I would never leave my precious photo business behind, don’t worry! Stephanie Rita Photography is my first bizbaby and I love it more each day.