Meet Stephanie, the Artist in the Haunted Cottage!

I feel like my oddities came about sort of by accident. I've always been the kind of artist who creates pieces that I'd want to own myself, and there came a point in time where I was really interested in cultivating a workspace that sparks creativity, brings joy, and feels comfortable. My artwork has forever been inspired by nature, and I wanted a way to bring the outdoors into my home. I also have a penchant for the elegant macabre, so finding the beauty in death and the cycle of life has also influenced my work. I figured a good place to start was to decorate my walls with gorgeous specimens, and when I find a new hobby I tend to go all-out. As a result, I ended up ordering a ton of butterflies and moths, learned how to spread their wings myself, and had so many leftover that I decided to start selling them — and people loved them! As someone who is immensely inspired by curiosity cabinets, I wanted my home to reflect my passions. Once I had my fill of the Lepidoptera, I wanted to also maybe try working with bones! After attending the Oddities & Curiosities expo in Atlanta, I bought my very first skull. That fox became the first of an entire collection, and I ended up using some of the pieces I've gathered to create my own displays! They've made me so happy, and I'm so grateful to be able to share my creations with others.

Illustration has always been my first and most dearest love. Even in high school, my art teacher urged me to pursue a career in the field because he recognized my affinity for it, but life took me in another direction. Since then, I always feel most like myself when I'm working on an illustration. I adore mixing various media together to create different textures, effects, and emotions. The process of watching a piece come together before my very eyes is a sight to behold, and one of the best feelings ever! Printmaking is a close second, which I found to be surprising because I've always hated linework. It was something I always struggled with, and yet ironically printmaking is all about mark-making. I'm not sure what clicked for me, but during the pandemic I rediscovered printmaking and somehow fell in love. I'd argue it's the medium I'm most comfortable with, despite the fact that I feel rather amateurish. Ceramics is a fun medium, and as a complete beginner with limited access to a studio I've been enjoying exploring my personal style in that art form when I get the opportunity.

This is a hard question! I honestly love just being in nature: feeling the warmth of the sun and wind in my hair and hearing the sounds of the birds. There's so much that this world has to offer, and I want to experience all of it. Whether it's hiking, picnicking, swimming, exploring or foraging, I truly love it all.

The nature book I'm writing and illustrating is meant to be a compendium of several species of flora, fauna, insects, and fungi. It's greatly inspired by vintage botanical lithographs, and I've been having such a fun time learning about different specimens. I'm hoping that it will not only be beautiful, but also educational. Because I am not currently a certified naturalist (perhaps in the future!), I want to focus more on the folkloric aspects of the entries: what they symbolized, and how they've been used in the past. It's a way to combine many of my passions, interests, and hobbies into one big masterpiece!