Stephanie grew up in the country areas of the New South Wales Central Coast and moved to the Gold Coast in 1997 to be closer to her family. Daughter of political cartoonist Larry Pickering and 1 of 11 children, she enjoyed a colourful and interesting childhood. With a background in graphic design she was a partner in ‘Studio Otto Illustration and Design’ for 12 years before deciding to devote her time fully to painting in 2007
‘I aim to achieve a sense of visual completeness in my work by exploring the interplay of various elements like contrast, colour, texture and tone.
I’m interested in the correlation between these elements and our own human traits and how this can influence our response to them; for instance darker colours may evoke a sense of strength and confidence and lighter colours exude a more gentle, ethereal quality but how does the combination and balance of these tones effect us? Can a sense of ‘visual completeness’ be achieved by combining and balancing a wide range of elements and if so can this evoke a sense of completion within us, as the viewer?
Is this an important aspect of the intrinsic value and validity of abstract (or nonobjective) art, as apposed to representational art where our innate response can be distracted by an association with the subject?
In my current series ‘The completeness of imperfection’ I explore the element of contrast and my own relationship with expression versus perfection; my desire to express an uninhibited creative freedom without judgment and expectation and the opposing desire for the satisfaction and security of predictable perfection. Can I satisfy both of these desires within one painting and does the combining of them (through contrast) increase the inherent value of each? Is the perfection of the clean white space enhanced by the contrast of the complexity within the circle? Is the shape of the circle (a universal symbol of wholeness and perfection) enhanced by the contrast of the square surround?
Does the work feel whole and complete in a way that evokes a sense of satisfaction and completion within myself?’
